Push & Pull
by JulyFireflies
Summary: Rose Weasley is an innovative potioneer with a bright future. Her past has broken into her perfect life in the form of Scorpius Malfoy: her new boss. Who may or may not remember their drunken encounter many years ago. Rose certainly hasn't forgotten... Scorpius/Rose. Rating: MA. Porn with Plot. (Semi-Hiatus)
1. Longbottom Labs

**Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Longbottom Laboratory**

With one resounding pop, a short witch walked glamorously into her workplace with two large coffees, her heels clicking on the linoleum. She wore her usual work ensemble: long dress pants, a flowing blouse, her white lab robe, and her hair tied back tightly into a no-nonsense ponytail that swayed when she walked.

The interior building was slick and modern, redwood panels and metal accents adorning a long hallway. It was unusual to see the attendant's desk empty. Usually her favourite pencil pusher was there with his charming smile to beep her into the building. She didn't dwell much more on his absence as she pushed her pocket to the door and scanned in, the technology synced to her wand's unique signature.

"Alright, back to business," her voice cut through the dull chatter of the conference room. A tall willowy witch to her left gratefully reached for the second coffee.

"Thanks Rose," she beamed. Settling down at the head of the table, Rose finally noticed that her small team was in various states of disarray. Papers were scattered on the table. One wiry haired older witch bickered relentlessly with a younger boy, who was clearly flustered.

Rose looked to her dark haired friend, a brow raised in question. She received a dismissive shrug in response. It was no matter, there was work to be done. "Alice, do you have the updated resilience tests for me?" Rose's sunglasses were off, her quill was out and she was in for the count. The four workers in front of her snapped to attention, updating her on the various states of her lab. They were making good progress, but average was never good enough for Rose. She was just getting the finer details of their stocks when a head popped in.

"Sam, there you are!" Rose exclaimed, greeting her missing desk worker, but was put out by the boy's expression. He was always a cheerful kid, just a few years younger than her and straight out of Hogwarts. Gorgeous blonde boy, sculpted like a statue, confident and bright. Which was why the apprehension in his gaze while he addressed her threw Rose's flow off.

"Yes Miss Weasley, sorry for not being present for your arrival," he was curt and professional, "Mister Longbottom would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience," he nodded, all business.

Rose threw a questioning glance at Alice, who had nothing but a clueless shrug to return. This unsettled her, but Rose was used to keeping a good face.

"Sure. Tell him I can do a lunch meeting," Rose waved a dismissive hand, making a note on her sheet, "Does eleven work?"

"Just fine, thank you Miss Weasley," he departed, closing the glass door behind him. It was as if the sealing of the door closed in the fear of the workers in the room, leaving the table vibrating with energy. Rose gazed over them, finally gauging the tension of the room.

Alice Longbottom, a long friend of Rose's sipped on her hot coffee. Five creams, five sugars. Alice was in Rose's class at Hogwarts, and was always so much more organized. It was because of this that Rose had asked Alice onto her staff, though of course there was no objection since it was her father's research facility. Alice was tall and thin, her dark hair cropped to her chin, and large brown doe eyes offsetting the sharpness of her features. She was quick, intelligent, and the perfect assistant. Her dark eyes stared down at her coffee, seemingly oblivious to the room around her. Rose knew better.

Arthur Gallagher sat next to her, his long hair tied back into a short ponytail. He had large rimmed glasses that gave a more mature look to his baby face. The boy was a pureblood wizard of good wealth who had stumbled into her care as a favor of her potioneering mentor. He didn't have incredible instincts, but gave fresh ideas, and was learning quickly what it took to fit in at the industry. He flinched as Rose's gaze came to him, and she paused in her assessment, surprised by the reaction.

Millie Williams was a round older woman, a treasured lab technician with years of experience. Her place was at the other end of the table, a few seats away from Arthur. Her dark hair was dyed light to try and hide the graying roots. She came in to get the job done, and went home to her husband and teenage sons. Millie was an invaluable member of Rose's lab, with no other wishes than to take home her paycheck at the end of the week and have a laugh with her labmates. She was staring to the older man to her left as if waiting for a response to a question.

Augustine Bradley, better known as Auggie, sat to Rose's right. His white hair stood against dark skin, seemingly worn by ages of having his nose in books. He was Rose's essential consult on textual references, helping with her publications. He was as usual, writing away furiously, though the urgency of his writing was less enthusiastic than usual.

Rose leaned slowly onto the table, drumming her fingers lightly on the wood.

"What, the hell," Rose started, her voice quiet, but resounding in the now confining conference room, "is going on?" The question rung in the silence, unanswered for several long heartbeats.

"Uh," Millie cleared her throat, shifting in her chair. Her response had Rose's attention immediately, her curly ponytail flipping from her quick turn of the chin.

"I don't know for sure, but I've heard rumors of a buyout."

Alice fumbled with her cup, coffee spilling out of her mouth onto her white blouse. Rose pulled out her wand and, with a flick of the wrist, summoned napkins for her friend.

"Does anyone else have confirmation or speculation?" Rose replied, her voice flat and eyes narrowed. Based on the unsurprised reactions of the room, her team had all acknowledged the possibility.

"Alice?" Rose turned to her peer, and noticed the room pause, all attention on the heir to the Longbottom legacy. Rose eased a little at the response, it meant that nobody had sure confirmations of such a large change.

Alice swiped furiously at her button up, wiping more and more coffee onto her outfit, "Honestly Rose, if I had heard anything you'd be the first to know, I swear," she swore, tossing the darkened napkin onto the table.

Rose stood straight, feeling the corners of her vision pull away from her.

 _It's probably nothing. Just another complaint about how fast we've been through our angelweed stock…_

But as Rose motioned for the day to continue, she knew in her gut it wasn't true.

…

Each glance at the clock reminded Rose of the anxiety churning in her gut. Sure, she was just running a quality check on the mushroom stock, and that required moderate attention, but the small indicating crystals in front of each specimen would hold the test results until she cleared them, so there was no real worry if she wasn't timely. Her attention, instead, kept flicking up to the large clock installed above the lab door.

 _Okay,_ Rose reasoned with herself for the tenth time that day, _Worst case scenario, your company is bought out, your lab dissolved, and you go back to school._ Though she knew deep down it wouldn't be that bad. She was a fantastic, innovative researcher who just developed a more effective blood thinning serum from the poison of a river leech. She had three new projects that her lab was working on, mind children of Rose's, and they all seemed promising. No witch or wizard in their right mind would fire Rose, and she held onto that nugget of pride with a last sweep of her wand as she completed the quality check.

Just in time too. She discarded the expired or contaminated stock with a word to Arthur on proper storage of the new materials before heading to the door. She felt all eyes on her as she hung her lab cloak, and though she knew her team might need a rousing speech before she left to hear their fate, she couldn't find it in her.

Lunch meetings with Mister Longbottom were usually lovely. Before he was her boss, he was her friend's father. She walked into the Three Broomsticks, heels clicking once again on the hardwood floors. She let the sound fill her with strength, tilting her chin a little higher as she approached the booth that she used to occupy with her young friend every Hogsmeade trip.

Mister Longbottom stood as she approached, reaching out a hand professionally, then pulling her in for a hug.

"Alright Rose, we have quite a bit to go over. I've ordered your favourite already, so all you need to do is take a seat," he motioned to the booth and she froze in place.

Sitting across from Rose Weasely and Neville Longbottom were two blonde wizards that she hadn't seen in years. Ones that cause the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up, not because of their names, but because of what they represented: the Longbottom Lab's greatest rivals. She'd only ever truly known one of them, and she fought the urge to turn heel and bolt for the door.

Rose was thrown back to Hogwarts.

…

" _You broke his bloody arm!" Rose yelled, pushing out of the Gryffindor Common room entrance into the dimly lit hallway. It wasn't yet past curfew, but emerging from a celebration made the corridor feel eerily empty._

" _He was touching you!" A tall bloke shoved through the portrait hole, pursuing her down a staircase. Rose made no move to lose him, but pushed on all the same._

" _We won the match Scorpius, John has a fucking ego, and I know how to take care of myself!" she turned quickly, barely running into her cousin's tall blonde best friend._

 _They stopped abruptly, chests heaving from the pursuit. Rose could feel how wild she must have looked, her hair falling out of its ponytail, fire in her eyes from the fight. Scorpius wasn't wrong, they'd all had some firewhiskey, and John got a little too handsy in the common room._

" _Most girls just say thanks," Scorpius mumbled, finally gaining some humility now that Rose was removed from the situation._

" _Thanks." she snapped, still glaring at him._

 _The situation changed faster than her mind could follow. One minute, Scorpius was meters away, approaching with apprehension, and the next, the air between them flickered with electricity. As he came closer, Rose felt the space around her close in, give away, until it was only them. And for the life of her, she couldn't remember why she was angry, only that her head was fuzzy, and she had never noticed the way his face softened when he looked at her._

" _Are you okay Rose?" he whispered, so close now that the air from his mouth brushed against her forehead. She shivered, recognizing this moment for what it was. It was her seventh year, and Rose was not a virgin. She had been here before, the calm before the storm, but never like this. Never with her cousin's best friend, the unsaid burning in the last inches between their skin._

" _No," her voice escaped, a hoarse sound from deep within her throat. Before she could stop herself, her lips closed the distance between them, and she could feel Scorpius tense in response. It was only a brief moment, and then he was spinning her, forcing her back against the wall of the corridor._

 _The kiss was not a light reassurance. It was grounding. Rose felt a need unlike anything she'd known flow through her, forcing a fire into her movements that she hadn't thought possible. Everywhere Scorpius' stupid lips touched her sang, her skin cold where he left teasing kisses. She moaned as his teeth grazed her neck, a firm touch that she didn't anticipate. He pulled back in response, eyes blazing with the same passion he'd had as he came to her rescue moments before._

 _She was moving before she knew where she was going, pulling him to the closest classroom._

…

Rose's cheeks burned as she took her seat across from Scorpius Malfoy and his father of Malfoy Industries.

* * *

 _Author's Note : Hey! Fireflies here, thanks for picking this up. I'm basing it off of a romance novel I read, but mostly this story is the fill the void of the best Scorpius/Rose fanfic I just read. This isn't going to be perfect, but there will be lots of sexual tension/activities with plot between. All suggestions/comments are encouraged! I LOVE feedback and rewrites, so just let me know what you'd like me to fix or what you'd like to see next! _


	2. Can't Forget

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Can't Forget**

Mister Longbottom had given the lab the afternoon off after lunch with promises of job security and explanations for the next day. In Rose's case, he turned off her access to the lab, forcing her to take the afternoon off despite her strong job security.

"To relax," he had said, a huge grin plastered over his face, "to celebrate!"

She didn't see a sellout as celebrating, but she demanded an outing with Alice and her roommate nonetheless. Rose had entered her flat, stripping immediately and finding the shortest dress she owned.

"We're going out out," Rose yelled around the corner to her cousin Roxanne Weasley.

"I'll get the firewhiskey," she cheered, beginning the night out ritual.

Four glasses and two smokey eyes later, Roxanne was just finishing the ten charms she used to get her hair perfectly framing her round face. Rose couldn't help her usual pang of jealousy. Roxanne was the only Weasley blessed with dark skin, and she knew how to glow. Her beauty had always intimidated Rose. They hadn't gotten close just because they were both in Gryffindor. Their friendship had been born from the scrapes and dirt of the Quidditch pitch. Luckily, it was a friendship that lasted.

The girls giggled, exiting the apartment off a side street in Diagon Alley and heading for Dragon's Place: their favourite little pub downtown. Alice was already waiting for them at the bar, a butterbeer in hand, dressed to tear up the down just like the girls were.

Alice pulled out a chair, beckoning them over, "Roxanne order the drinks, Rose give me the details," Rose's stomach warmed with how much Alice wanted to hear from her, despite the knowledge that it was because Rose was the only one who knew anything of the morning. She slid between her two best friends, peeking around the room.

"This is more than just a work story, so you'd better be ready," Rose laughed, crossing her legs on the stool. She didn't see any familiar faces except for their favourite bartender.

"Mateo! Rose has got a story if you can get us a brandy and firewhiskey," Roxanne motioned for him to come over. The tall, buff man brought them the order with a crooked smile, grabbing a butterbeer for himself and joining them.

"It's pretty quiet, I'm due for some little Red drama," he teased and Rose's cheeks burned.

"It's not my fault!" Rose whined, pulling the brandy to herself to warm with her hands.

"We'll be the judge of that."

"Fine," Rose rolled her eyes, "Alice, your dad sold out to Malfoy Industries."

"Ugh, I knew it," the witch leaned her face into the palms of her hands on the bar.

"Why's that so bad?" Roxanne laughed, pulling her whiskey to sip.

"They're a large production company, no interest in small research groups like us," Alice explained.

"And Scorpius is overseeing the turnover," Rose mumbled, hiding her face by gulping down half her drink.

"No way." Alice breathed.

"Scorpius Malfoy?" Roxanne echoed.

"Hot night in a classroom Malfoy?"

"Best sex of your life Malfoy?" Roxanne wiggled her eyebrows. Rose flung her head back, groaning in response.

"I don't think he remembers," she whined, tilting her head over to peek at Alice.

"How could he forget you?" Mateo gestured to Rose who, at the moment, was definitely looking unforgettable.

"We were so wasted after Gryffindor won a Quidditch match…" Roxanne giggled, thinking of her own fun night.

"The Slytherins had joined us, because my cousin Albus was in the house, and his friend Scorpius brought a whole _case_ of firewhiskey."

"Barely anybody remembers that night." Alice mumbled from her hands.

"Except me, I've never blacked out before," Rose shrugged her shoulders, for once not feeling lucky about that.

The party moved to a no name club in london where Roxanne could "dance properly!" Rose joined her, but wasn't really into it. The only thoughts on her mind were of her lunch encounter.

…

" _Rose Weasley, it's a pleasure," Draco Malfoy reached a large hand to shake hers. Rose shook out of her stupor and regained some semblance of professionality._

" _The pleasure is mine Mister Malfoy," was Rose's automatic response as she took her seat. Directly across from Scorpius._

" _Nonsense, I've heard of your tremendous accomplishments in the last year," Draco Malfoy drawled, but Rose's attention was on the boy across from her. She hadn't seen him in two years, and a long two years it was. Scorpius had grown even taller, if that was possible, and had filled out, which she had never expected him to do. He dwarfed his father, and his careful scruff seemed to add more than two years to him. The same bright blue eyes blazed at her from across the table with a teasing glimmer in them, and it was only when her gaze met his that she realized she was staring._

" _I'm sure you've met, but I should reacquaint you with my son and business partner, Scorpius," Draco Malfoy nodded to his son, and Scorpius reached his hand forward for Rose to shake. She reached out quickly to get the kind gesture over with, but couldn't move when their skin touched. It sent electricity up her arm, paralyzing the nerves and preventing any sensible response._

" _Of course we've met father, Rose is Albus's brilliant cousin." Scorpius grinned his stupid perfect smile._

" _Thank you so much Scorpius, I very much appreciate the kind sentiments," she blubbered, turning to the conversation at hand and retracting her arm as if it were just burned._

" _You don't just need to appreciate them Rose, you may yet be nominated for an award for your research." Longbottom put a hand on her shoulder. She couldn't hear him, because Scorpius's leg had just moved against hers, and she didn't move hers away._ He probably just thinks it's the booth. _She reasoned._

" _That's incredible," she responded, because it was what she should do._

" _Yes, you'll be joining us in a few weeks for the Slughorn Awards," Draco Malfoy responded._

" _Joining you?" she asked, redirecting the conversation, because she couldn't process the enormity of several bomb drops._

" _Yes, that is the second nature of our meeting here today," Longbottom shifted, gesturing to Draco Malfoy, "I am in the middle of processing a deal to transfer ownership of Longbottom Labs to Mister Malfoy. We can go over the fine details in meetings tomorrow-"_

And Rose was thrust back into the present with a pull on her arm.

"Rosie, I'm heading out with Rick here. He lives down the road, don't wait up, okay?" Roxanne giggled in Rose's ear, and she nodded. It was the usual way of things, Roxanne was off season right now, and it was a Quidditch player's way to sleep around.

A few shots later, and Rose and Alice stumbled down the road and into a local pub where they could floo home safely.

"I'll see you tomorrow Rosie, don't forget the hangover potion before you go to bed," Alice tapped Rose's nose, "We have shit to do."

Rose giggled a goodbye and stepped into the fireplace after Alice, entering her dark apartment. She was home, but she wasn't ready for bed with her mind still on Scorpius. So even though she downed the hangover potion, stumbled into her room, and pulled her dress off, she snuggled herself into the fluffy blankets and let herself remember.

" _Here?" Scorpius scoffed, letting his fingers linger on her hips as she locked the classroom door behind her._

 _She lifted herself onto a desk, biting her lip and pulling Scorpius close in response to his questioning. She dug her ankles into the backs of his legs, pinning him to her. With a shift of her hips, she was able to grind herself against him, finding his erection pressing against her already. A gasp escaped her lips and He seized it, pressing his lips against hers and sliding his tongue in easily. He groped at her sloppily, but Rose didn't care. She only felt a growing need to be closer. And they just had so much_ clothes _on. She pulled her jersey over her head, still gritty from the game. Scorpius didn't care. His hands were too busy trailing patterns along her bare skin._

Rose let her hands wander over her naked body in the present, trying to follow the trail his fingers had taken.

 _She reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up in a fruitless attempt to get closer. He laughed into her mouth before leaning back, removing the top. And suddenly he was so_ warm _against her, his arms pulling her close in an embrace that she ached for. She sighed in his arms, kissing him more softly now. But she noted to herself that she didn't want soft assurance right then. She wanted_ him. _So she let her fingers trail along his stomach and to his shorts, tracing the outline of his straining erection. A deep moan rumbled through her lips from his, and she grinned, stroking him again._

 _Then he was clumsy for reasons other than the firewhiskey she tasted on him. His need flowed into hers, and his hands were slipping into the hem of her shorts, pulling them down. And then his fingers were slipping between her folds._

Just as Rose was slipping her own fingers between her folds. Different than how Scorpius had, slow and torturous. Rose had a mission, and let herself rub the hood of her clit lightly.

 _Scorpius dragged his fingers along her slit, and traced the wetness around her._

" _You're soaked," he whispered in her ear, and it shook her to the core. There were no doubts that it was all because of him._

" _Then you'd better do something about it," Rose giggled back to him. And he grinned mischeviously. Then Scorpius Malfoy, her cousin's best friend, trailed kisses down her neck, pulling her shorts and panties off. She tensed in anticipation. Nobody had ever done this for her before. No man had ever had his face so close to her shaking thighs, and she could barely contain herself. He gently spread her legs, taking her in._

" _You are the most fucking beautiful thing I've ever seen Rose," he looked up at her, naked and panting on a classroom desk, spread for him. She knew he was lying, because the most beautiful sight she'd seen was his face between her legs. He neared her, and shivered from his breath against her wetness. His lips lightly brushed her, sending a shock through her body._

Rose felt her body tense just as it had when he had touched her, and her movements became lighter, quicker.

 _Her excitement was built so high in her head that it didn't take long. Despite what most men thought, external stimulation really was the way to go. And holy hell did Scorpius know what he was doing. She felt the slow build inside of her as Scorpius licked her from bottom to top, hard and slow, and her thighs clenched around him. He flicked his tongue quickly just above her clit where the hood was beginning to retract. She moaned loudly at the movement, pulling away from the intense sensation, but he held tight to her thighs, holding her at his mercy._ He was a fast learner _she reasoned. He found his goal quickly, positioning his mouth so that she felt the movement throughout her whole body, earning him a squirming, panting Rose Weasley. She was so close, and told him that, throwing her head back as she grinded against his mouth, searching for a deeper friction._

Rose felt herself close now, panting and grabbing her sheets with her second hand.

" _I'm gonna, I'm gonna," Rose whined, grinding shamelessly against his mouth, clutching the desk for dear life._

" _Then do it," Scorpius murmured quietly against her, his voice vibrating in her core. And that was her undoing._

Rose felt the quivers of a quick, dirty orgasm ripple through her, just as they had that night, just like they did every time she relived that fantasy; leaving her tired, but not quite fulfilled. It was enough for the day she'd had though, and with everything she had been through, she could do nothing but roll over and let sleep take her.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Fireflies here, thanks again for reading! I hope that this is more of what you're looking for. I've always heard "write what you want to read", and I plan to deliver the fanfiction that I was always looking for. Because I have my own agendas, I'd LOVE your feedback, once again! Still aiming for daily updates, so R &R soon please & thanks! _

_P.S. because this fanfiction does contain mature content, here is the link to AO3 in case you love my story and it happens to get taken down /works/11038206/chapters/24603819_


	3. Realizations

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Realizations**

At the beginning of the end, Rose Weasley slipped on her favourite heels and lined her lips in red. If she was going down, it would be in style.

She was sipping her tea when Roxanne slipped in the door, her "I got laid" grin on.

"Another walk of pride completed flawlessly," she purred, throwing her jacket on the couch and sitting at their small kitchen bar. Rose got about to making another cup for her roommate, an act of routine more than anything else.

"So Rick?" Rose grinned, clutching her mug and leaning over the counter, "Rick Campbell from Hufflepuff?"

"Hufflepuffs know how to use their hands," Roxanne shrugged, a big smug smile spreading over her face.

"Eww, gross," Rose threw a sugar cube at her big headed friend.

"Probably won't meet up again, he wasn't great without his hands," she cringed. Rose made excessive gagging noises as she put her cup in the sink.

"I'm gonna go be an adult, unlike some of us," Rose stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah, good luck with Malfoy," Roxanne rolled her eyes, sipping on her tea. Rose cursed, leaning forward and resting her head on the cabinet over the sink.

"I'm gonna need another drink tonight," Rose muttered, picking her head up and hitting it on the cabinet. Maybe if she killed all of her brain cells, she'd lose the ability to talk, and forfeit the whole situation.

"I'm bringing in the big guns this time," Roxanne reached across the counter, grabbing a pad of paper and a quill.

"Do I get to know who's coming out?" Rose turned her head, earning her a giggle. There was a nice red line imprinted on her forehead where the counter had rested.

"Nope."

"That's about right."

"All you need to know, is that you'll be wasted before they get here, and I'll clean up."

" _Okay._ " Rose mocked her roommate, remembering the cups she'd tossed last time she promised to clean up.

"For real this time!"

...

"Good morning Miss Weasley, looking especially attractive today I see," desk worker Sam greeted Rose, and the world was righted again.

"Thank you, and good morning Sam," she grinned, grabbing a lollipop from the jar on his desk. She took a moment to sift through for the strawberry one.

Sam's morning smile faltered, "Sorry about the interruption yesterday, Mister Longbottom had come in early and already introduced me to Mister Malfoy…"

"You're okay, Sam!" Rose laughed off the apology, "You're doing splendidly. Any dismay I had at your late arrival was only because I personally missed your smiling face brightening my day," she teased, handing him the wrapper to her candy. Their banter was a typical morning routine for Rose, and after the debacle the day before, she felt that her workplace wouldn't crumble as long as he was there.

"Well then I'm glad to deliver my shining services to you today Miss Weasley," he grinned, tossing the litter for her. When he looked back up, his gaze flicked behind her.

A throat cleared, and Rose spun around, eyes locking on Scorpius Malfoy.

He was in a perfectly tailored dress robe, and though he stood at a professional distance, Rose couldn't help the flush in her cheeks. Curse the Weasley skin tone.

"Good to see you early Miss Weasley," his voice seemed to echo in the long hallway. Scorpius was truly a Malfoy. He was towering; an intimidating wizard in her workplace. Even if she wasn't insanely attracted to him and reminded of the way his hands felt on her every time she looked at him, she would have been intimidating. Rose dealt with intimidation the way she always did, glad that she had her war paint on. She slipped the lollipop she'd been holding into her mouth so that she could offer him her hand.

"This is my typical arrival time,," she spoke, not quite meeting his eyes. If she was going to keep her job, she had to stay focused. It once again became difficult when his hand clasped hers, and her skin tingled. _He should have been a Hufflepuff_ , Rose's mind told her, and she bit her tongue. _Stop. Stop. Stop_. She pulled back quickly, turning to enter the door.

"See you soon, Sam!" Rose grinned at her friend, and she couldn't help but notice the eyebrow raise that he gave her. _Stop it, he'll notice you idiot!_ She screamed at Sam through her smile, but they were already scanned in, and she was free of Sam's teasing look.

Rose was instead leading Scorpius down another hallway by her worker's desks. She was hyper conscious of the way she walked, trying to keep one foot in front of the other with no wobbles. At this moment, she was proud she had chosen a skirt. She imagined his eyes burning into her. Even the most restrained wizard couldn't help but notice Rose's curves. She hadn't been blessed tall and willowy like Alice or with a tight body like Roxanne, but by now, Rose knew how to use her curves to her advantage. It just so happened that today, she was trying to dig up old memories from Scorpius, and at the same time intimidate him right back.

"He's nice," Scorpius noted as they walked. Rose peeked over her shoulder and he was gazing around the office. Now it seemed it was his turn to not meet her eyes. _Who's nice..?_

"Oh, Sam! Yeah, Sam is a dedicated, friendly worker," she responded, stopping to unlock her office door.

Rose grimaced as they entered. Her office lived in infamy among her staff. There were stacks of paper all over the three desks in the room, one large center desk holding the least of the damage. In her efforts to create a mask for herself, she had forgotten how unprofessionally unorganized she was. She pulled her wand out, and with a wave, the two chairs in the office were cleared. Her gorgeous view of London was slightly more obstructed.

"I'm so sorry for the mess," she blushed, taking a seat behind her desk. Scorpius stayed standing, despite her efforts to make him more comfortable.

"You were never the most organized," he smirked, and she tensed. Rose took a second to relax. She was in her office, he was Albus's friend, they had hung out often at Hogwarts. There was no reason to make this awkward.

"You're one to talk," she laughed, "I've seen your Quidditch locker." Scorpius couldn't stifle a laugh himself, and this time Rose really relaxed. They could make this work.

Scorpius finally took a seat, and Rose realized with a start that she didn't know the nature of his job there. She racked her brain, trying to develop a strategy to be as direct as possible.

"So," she grabbed an errant curl of her hair, an awkward habit of hers when she was uncomfortable, "I apologize. I have the only closed office in the lab, we're a small center. I'm more than happy to share my space, there's plenty of room once I clear these stock forms," she turned to straighten some papers on her desk as if that solved part of the problem.

"As long as you're okay with clearing one of your desks, I could definitely make this work," Scorpius looked at the one to her left. A quill fell off a stack onto the floor to emphasize his compromise.

Rose looked to him for a moment, and the reality of the situation hit her in the gut. Here was this boy, her age, presumably a business partner of Malfoy Industries, there to take over her lab that she'd spent two years building. Sure, it was Mister Longbottom's lab, but once he'd seen her abilities, he sectioned her out a niche, allowing her to thrive in her little corner of the world. She really saw Scorpius in that moment as anyone else would: a threat to that perfect career.

"Look," she clasped her hands together, leaning forward onto her desk, "Scorpius, I have no idea what your business plans for my lab. I know they have various prospects including the Finnigan Lab, which already produces innovative charms. I'm not sure what the intentions are for my work, except that we won't be fired."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius grimaced, and her heart sank, "Nobody ever explained to you our process."

"I've been assigned to your lab, because yours has been producing the most promising potions out of Longbottom's teams. I'll be learning of your current projects, assessing many qualities of the work, and determining the next avenues of research."

Rose's brow furrowed, thinking over his explanation.

 _So I have to prove the relevance of my projects_. Rose reasoned, thinking of her staff. They had been working so hard. Some of them, at first, doubted her methods. That was until they saw her great successes. There was a method to the madness, though she wasn't sure she could make everyone else understand. _I only have to prove it to Scorpius._ She noted with a deep breath. She couldn't let them down.

"Then let's get to work."

…

Rose had dropped Scorpius off on Alice to give him a tour while she cleaned up her office. He had grinned at her, shaking her hand firmly. Alice, the great friend that she was, gave no indication to Rose, pulling him quickly away. She could trust Alice to keep him occupied.

Back in her office, Rose leaned against her closed doors, biting her lip hard. She had a lot to do in a small amount of time. Her cleaning started productively, thoughts swimming with ways to introduce him to the methodology behind her projects. But with every paper she stored into a drawer, her anger grew.

 _He has the ability to cancel my projects._ She simmered in her building frustration, _What gives him the right…_

Rose filed old receipts, calling Sam to pick up a few boxes for storage. He walked in, large grin plastered on his face, ready to gossip about Rose's reaction to Scorpius. If anyone realized when Rose was putting on a face, it was her loyal accountant. But once he'd opened the door to her office, he'd stared on in horror. There were papers flying everywhere, the blinds were crooked, and there was an actual _fire_ in her trash bin. He grabbed the boxes and exited the war zone as fast as he could, mentally noting to buy her a martini next time they were out.

"Stupid fucking Malfoy," Rose mumbled, now regretting that she had worn a skirt as she knelt on the floor to pull papers from under the desk, "Bloke thinks he can walk into my life again as if nothing ever happened." she burned some pages of notes, strongly considering implementing some of the hexes she had learned from her aunt Ginny.

Now, her memories of their fantastic night together were like pins in a voodoo doll, poking her whenever she moved.

" _Tell me what you want Rose," Scorpius caressed her cheek, dragging his fingers down her neck and over her taut nipples. She felt herself clench, face twisted with desire._

"Fucking prick." Rose snapped in the present.

 _When she didn't answer, he pulled back. She reached out to him, trying to get him closer with the need burning in her eyes. He had fantastic restraint._

" _You have to use your words. Anything. I'll do anything to please you, Rose."_

"Thinks he has the right to…"

 _Rose could barely think, her mind trying to draw up the dirtiest thing she could think of to surprise him with her maturity._

" _Could you," she started, reaching a hand out. He grabbed it, pulling her off the desk. She steadied herself, placing another hand on his chest. His skin burned where they touched, and she felt a renewed desire, "... Could you spank me?"_

She faltered as she remembered the way a grin slowly spread across his face.

When Scorpius entered Rose's office at the end of the day, it was pristine. The desks had been shifted so that they were both cornered next to the large window and angled towards the center of the room. To be honest, Rose didn't know her office was actually that big.

"This is perfect Miss Weasley, thank you," Scorpius grinned, and her stomach dropped.

Miss Weasley? Oh hell no.

"Fine." she snipped, frozen. She couldn't let herself appear affected in front of him, "Good. I'm done for the day," she quickly gathered her things, her topped out temper burning through the room. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. _Good,_ she compromised to herself, _If I'm gonna suck at hiding my feelings, he'd better at least be ashamed enough to be fucking uncomfortable._

"I'm sorry if the situation isn't ideal…" he trailed off, slipping his hands into the dress robe pockets. That did it.

"You really don't get it, do you?" Rose advanced on him, finally snapping. How did he have the nerve to still think this was about a bloody desk!? He was much less astute than she'd remembered him being.

"Seriously Rose? If I knew why you were pissed at me, I'd have tried to-" _Oh, now it's Rose._

"Three years ago," her eyes blazed, and he stopped, eyes finally flickering with a building realization, "After the Gryffindor win and your crates of _bloody_ firewhiskey, you fucked me senseless, then we never spoke again. Let's keep it that way."

Rose stormed past him, leaving a stunned Scorpius in her wake.

* * *

 _Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Seriously, I'm never quite sure how my works will be received, and this has had a small, but good response! THANK YOU! Tomorrow's post may be a little late, as my work schedule has picked up a little. I hope that only builds the suspense! Please let me know what you think, as I would love to tailor the reactions and next directions to your tastes. OR surprise you. ;)_


	4. Drinking with the Cousins

**.**

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Drinking with the Cousins**

Roxanne and Rose often hosted small parties at their flat. It had a great sitting area with plenty of space, and a built in bar to the kitchen. If they really wanted to party, Roxanne would invite some of her Quidditch mates. Rose would usually set up, stocking everything and making sure nobody puked on their (finally) matching set of furniture.

Rose was not quite sure how she felt about Roxanne taking it upon herself to set up, claiming she'd invited the whole Cannons team. She was still unsure about whether she needed a four day nap, or a bottomless bottle of wine.

Rose couldn't watch Roxanne try to freeze and set up an ice luge, so she headed down the road to pregame for her own party. Much to her surprise, she noticed an unmistakably large dark haired wizard in the crowded street.

"Al!" she hurried down the cobblestone, catching up to her cousin. Albus Potter turned around just in time for Rose to hug him around the waist.

"Rose!" Albus exclaimed, hugging her back tightly, "It's been too long."

"That's not my fault Mister Auror-in-training! You barely have time to breathe in that damn program, what kind of ship is your father running?" Rose shoved his chest, distancing herself. Albus had always been a big guy, but he had filled out even more since the last time she saw him. Big bundle of pure muscle he was. It made him an unstoppable force on the Quidditch pitch, and she was sure it didn't hurt with his training.

Albus leaned forward, "I'm actually about to do a little day drinking on my day off. Care to join me?" he linked his arm in hers, pulling her along regardless of her response.

"I would love to!" she responded as if it mattered, "I know the perfect spot!"

The Dragon's Place was dead, which suited a Potter and a Weasley just fine.

"Tell me everything that you've been doing recently, Rose," Albus inquired, spinning to face her at the bar.

"Oh, I'd much rather hear about your adventures," Rose covered. The last thing she wanted to do was relive the day's tragedies, especially since they involved Albus's supposed best friend.

"This is gonna be a long night," Albus laughed, sipping his butterbeer. They sat in a comfortable silence, each dwelling in the things that brought them to a bar at 4pm.

"I've had some… Work... Tensions," Rose flinched at her own wording and Al laughed.

"Not with Sam..?" Albus slowly asked.

"Oh god no, he's as gay as Christmas," Rose giggled then bit her lip, considering the situation. It really was a bit messed up. She didn't want to put Albus in an awkward situation, and it wasn't a secret that Scorpius and her didn't get along throughout hogwarts. The one incident didn't change that.

"Sarah and I broke up," Albus blurted, downing most of his drink.

Rose sputtered on a sip, getting butterbeer all over her shirt. "Oh, you win," Rose threw her hands in the air. She knew just what they needed: two firewhiskeys to kick off the pity-fest… And a napkin.

"It was a while ago, actually," Albus pulled his tie loose, "A few months."

"So why does that bring you here today?" Rose questioned. Albus flinched, sliding his empty butterbeer to the bartender and pulling the whiskey close.

"I decided that three rebound hookups were enough. I'm officially looking for a new partner," he admitted. Rose considered for a long moment, swishing the whiskey in her glass.

"I might be able to help with that. Are you busy tonight?"

…

The party was in full swing by the time Rose stepped into her flat. Albus had conditionally accepted her invitation. He was bringing some Auror buddies, and desperately needed to change out of his work robes. Rose looked around and was suddenly glad she wore her little black dress. Quidditch players could clean up real nice.

Rose heard someone calling her name from across the room and looked to the kitchen to see Roxanne motioning her over, "Luge with me!" she seemed to mouth. Rose rolled her eyes, but pushed her way to the kitchen nonetheless.

Squashed in her tiny kitchen was James Potter pouring a bright blue liquid down the flat ice sculpture. It flowed down into the mouths of the two burly beaters of the Cannons. Rose giggled when one of them coughed, losing half the shot on his shirt. "Your turn, little Red!" James pointed to Rose with the bottle.

An obscene amount of alcohol later, and Rose was dancing in her livingroom. She wasn't dancing alone, but she made sure to bounce around so that nobody held onto her for too long. Someone pushed her into a wall of a wizard and she grinned.

"Albus, you made it!" She raised her cup, spilling a little butterbeer. Albus grinned and tapped his cup to hers. She grabbed his arm and pulled him off the dance floor, looking for a tall thin friend of hers.

"Woah Rosie, slow down!" Albus tried to say, but Rose was on a mission. It took two sweeps of dragging Albus around the perimeter, but she finally found her target refilling in the kitchen.

"Alice!" Rose swung Albus into the doorframe, his massive build blocking anyone else from entering, "Meet my cousin Albus, he's single!"

Alice closed the fridge and gaped at Rose. "You do know that I've met Albus? We were in the same classes, honestly Rose…"

"Yeah, but you haven't _met_ met Albus." Rose rolled her eyes, putting a hand on her hip. Albus sipped his cup, avoiding Rose's accusing glare, and Alice shuffled one foot on the floor. "Oh, come _on._ " Rose groaned, pulling the two closer together, "Go dance or something you nerds." Rose waved a hand, exiting the kitchen.

When Rose re-entered the living room, she felt things spin a little. _Alright, maybe I need to sit down,_ she reasoned, searching for an open seat. She couldn't even see her couches there were so many people. She didn't really have a coherent thought as she made her way to the door, pushing out into her building. Rose stumbled down the hallway and down the stairs, holding her cup between her teeth and grasping at the railing with both hands. When Rose finally made her way out the door onto the street, she noticed she wasn't alone.

"Oh, fuck this," Rose said, and her cup fell out of her mouth, dropping on the cobblestone. Scorpius Malfoy was leaning against the side of her building, a flask in his hand. To her surprise, he was wearing a button down and jeans. Rose gaped for a second. She honestly didn't think he owned anything other than dress robes. And he did not look happy.

"Shit," she muttered, leaning over to grab her cup and scoop up what was left of her dignity. She straightened too quickly and started to see stars, so she leaned against the building too, clutching her empty cup with two hands.

Scorpius Malfoy now looked a little happy. The corner of his mouth twitched up, and Rose felt butterflies. _Yeah, definitely fuck this._

The two stood in silence for long moments as Rose tried to find her center of gravity again. She was clearly sloshed, but there was nothing she could do about it now. In her efforts to try not to dig herself into a hole, she bit her lip, trying to keep her drunk honesty closed up inside of herself. She finally got her shit together.

"I should go…" she muttered, putting a hand on the door. He grabbed her arm and it was the sensation more than the action that stopped her from running as fast as she could.

"I'm sorry," Scorpius flinched and pulled back. He tried for the cool demeanor again, but at this point, Rose was having none of it. It felt childish. He took a long sip of a flask and grimaced at the burn, "Fuck." After a moment he took a deep breath, "I remember that night so vividly."

Rose felt a buzzing in her ears, and her world slowed to a screaming halt. her brow furrowed with confusion. She opened her mouth to ask questions, and Scorpius took a step back, laughing at himself.

"I've been standing out here wondering whether I should come in and tell you or not," Scorpius said, throwing an arm in the air. Rose felt like her vision was pinching at the outsides. The regular late night bustle of Diagon Alley was off in the distance, and her head tuned it out until all she could hear was her own heartbeat.

"Rose, after we…" Scorpius closed his mouth, considering his words very carefully. He looked at her. Really looked at her for a moment, and she felt a tiny spark in her chest. At the same time, Rose caught a spark in Scorpius's eyes. "You're wasted, we should talk about this…"

The cup dropped out of Rose's hands and she threw herself at him.

Scorpius was clearly surprised by this development, but Rose wasn't actually comprehending his reaction, she only knew that once her lips were pressed against his, the spark in her chest started to kindle, roaring into a dull fire. Rose was floating, her world no longer spinning. Scorpius was firm against her, unmoving, and Rose pushed further, grabbing his button-up and pulling him closer. Something snapped and he finally melted against her, opening his mouth and deepening the kiss. Rose felt herself moan into Scorpius's mouth, and then the world was cold again, nothing holding her down.

Now everything was bad spinning again.

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered, dropping her cup and slipping into the door.

It wasn't like the romance novels she liked to read. He wasn't following, calling out to her, no promises that everything would be peaches and cream. Rose ran up the stairs wanting nothing more than to throw herself into her bed.

But when the door to her flat few open, and there was still a party in full swing.

 _My room is down the hall._ Rose thought to herself like a mantra, over and over. She pushed her way through people, the colors of the room blending together. _Just a few more feet._

Her hand fumbled on her doorknob, and she fell more than walked into her room. All of a sudden, the carpet rushed op to her face. Then the door was closed and she was sobbing. After that it was a blur, but at some point, she remembered Roxanne coming in.

"Oh, honey," she cooed, scooping Rose up off the ground and somehow getting her into bed with a hangover potion. She had no sense of time as she cried herself to sleep next to her best friend.

...

Rose was in the lab before the sun was up the next day. She had missed a day of work to clean out her office, and needed to keep her mind on something other than her life. She buckled herself down with her newest project. Papers were scattered all over her desk, calculations and textbooks strewn about. "Okay," she muttered to herself, "Intensifying. What has properties…" Rose was lost in old medieval plant books.

There was a large creek, and Rose looked up to see an old round witch wobbling over with two steaming mugs.

"Oh, Millie!" Rose laughed, "You scared me." she took the mug gratefully, going straight back to work.

"What's this?" she asked, picking up one of Rose's pages of notes, "The Mopsus Potion? I don't think I'm familiar with that."

"Named after the Greek Seer Mopsus," Rose sipped her tea, "He had fantastic abilities and wanted to take on an apprentice, but nobody he knew had the gift," she searched her piles quickly, pulling out an old dusty scroll and handing it to Millie.

Millie unraveled the scroll, looking at a list of very old-fashioned ingredients. Her face twisted with annoyance.

"His son offered to learn, but you can't create gifts like the Sight," Rose spun to Millie with a twinkle in her eye, "Except that he tried."

"He managed to create the Mopsus Potion, named not for himself, but for his son whom he tested it on. Apparently, it gave him temporary Sight and possible telekinesis?" Rose spun back to her stack of papers, pulling one out and scribbling a note, "I'm not quite sure, but I plan to find out."

Millie looked back to the scroll. Most of the ingredients would need to be ordered, and a few were hard to find in this century. "This is a bit of a pace change from improving on health potions," she put the paper back on a book, "What happened to the less painful Skele-gro?"

"Oh you can still work on that," Rose flipped a page, losing herself to the project again, "This could really help the Auror department though, you know? Be able to predict a scene before you go, decide what resources you need and how dangerous it is."

"There's definitely great things that could come from that Miss Weasley. Good luck," Millie nodded, heading over to her own bench.

By the time noon came around, Alice had to force Rose to take a break for lunch. Through protests and complaining, Rose was finally torn from her work and on her way to the office. _Okay, I think I still have a salad in the shared fridge. If I down that in like ten minutes, I can start brewing by-_

Her thought process halted as she walked into her office, because she was suddenly reminded of why it looked different. Scorpius stood as she entered, and Rose felt like cold water was dumped down her back.

"I think we need to talk."

* * *

 _Author's Note: I'm going off of google stuff, so there will be some more potions talk coming up that may be incorrect, though I will try my hardest. If I get something blatantly wrong, or it's unrealistic, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I love to fix things. Thanks again for the kudos and feedback! Now that the world has been set up, things are going to get interesting quickly (I hope!) Keep your eyes out, and keep that feedback coming! I love getting the email that says what you think. Fireflies_


	5. We do Good Work

**.**

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 5**

 **We do Good Work**

And that is how Rose ended up sitting at a nice Muggle cafe on her lunch break with Scorpius Malfoy. It was vaguely french and definitely fancy. A beautiful hole-in-the wall cafe with little black wire tables closed in on the patio where she now sat. It was too fancy for a lunch meeting, and definitely the most uppity place she'd eaten at since her cousin Victoire dragged her to some world-renowned pizza place in Switzerland.

"We're gonna need this," Scorpius laughed, pouring Rose a glass of some big name wine. Or so she assumed, because the menu had no prices on it.

Rose did not laugh. She did finish the whole glass in one go and poured herself a second without a word. Her decision to come out was quickly becoming the worst one of her life.

Scorpius cleared his throat, eyes glued to the menu, "I'd suggest the salmon."

"Sure," she shrugged, looking over the railing to her side. The busy street seemed like it was a mile away. She couldn't ignore what had happened, but more importantly, she couldn't ignore the strong attraction she felt to him, even then. It didn't mean that she wouldn't try.

The waiter came, and Scorpius ordered two of what she supposed was the salmon, because it was french and he pronounced it perfectly. _Asshole._

"Rose," Scorpius tried to catch her attention but she couldn't meet his eyes, "I'm really trying here. I want to fix this."

"You can't fix what isn't broken," Rose shrugged.

Scorpius was silent for a long moment, swishing the wine in his glass. "I've thought of that night a lot, Rose."

She finally looked up. Scorpius no longer appeared to be the big shot business guy he'd become. He looked like the Scorpius she knew as a kid, knocked down by the world. Hiding in a cart on the Hogwarts Express with Albus Potter, and looking so hurt when she refused to sit with them.

 _Did I do that?_

Scorpius wasn't avoiding her eyes. He was burning holes through her soul with his stare, and she couldn't ignore it any longer. Their gaze locked, and she was hooked on his words.

"Do you know what happened the morning after?" Scorpius asked quietly, and Rose felt her stomach drop out. Scorpius kept swishing the damn wine glass, but luckily it was a good excuse to tear her eyes away from his.

"We had gone back to our rooms, and when I woke up the next day, I was so excited to see you again. I walked into the great hall with Al, and do you know what happened next?"

Rose shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She didn't know what happened next, she didn't remember this.

"Alice Longbottom looked at me and laughed." He straightened in his chair, stopping the glass and looking up at the ceiling, "Alice laughed at me, and you wouldn't even _look_ at me. Albus noticed me moping around and asked me what was wrong, and what could I tell him?" he laughed without humor.

Rose felt like her chest was collapsing on her.

"I told Alice about that night and she thought I was joking," Rose muttered, "I saw you in Potions later and you avoided me. I thought you were embarrassed of me. You even moved seats so we wouldn't have to work together."

"Because I thought you had made fun of me."

They sat in silence, just looking at each other, and she felt the pieces click into place. Rose opened her mouth to speak, and her throat was too tight to make a sound. She awkwardly cleared her throat, and finally spoke in the smallest voice.

"You were excited to see me?"

A slow grin spread over Scorpius's face. "Alice wasn't making fun of me?"

Rose laughed, "She made fun of you and Albus for a lot of things, but never for that. Not really."

"Not really?"

"You know," Rose smiled to herself, looking back at her glass, "We fought all the time, she said it was only a matter of time we murdered each other or screwed like rabbits."

And Scorpius giggled. The sound rang in her ears.

Their food came, and luckily Scorpius was right, the salmon was delicious. It paired deliciously with the wine. Definitely better than the old salad she'd planned for lunch that day.

"So are you seeing anyone right now?" Scorpius asked. Rose froze again like a deer in headlights, then reminded herself that it was a normal question.

"Uh, no," she shifted in her chair, setting her fork down, "I haven't really done the serious relationship thing." Scorpius nodded slowly.

"Do you mind if I ask why not?" he took another bite of his food, the most casual thing in the world. She felt like her head was dunked into boiling water.

"Well," she shrugged, pulling her alcohol close as a crutch, "I want to get my life in order first. I love my job, but I'm still in a small lab. I want a house, I want a name for myself outside of my parent's shadows before I share that life and name with somebody else."

"That's a great reason," Scorpius noted, putting his fork down.

"How about you?" Rose asked.

Scorpius frowned, grabbing his own glass of wine. "My father has particular… Views on dating. Dating leads to engagement leads to marriage, so I try to cut it off at the first step." Scorpius shrugged.

"I mean, we could always have a rendezvous in the office every now and then," Rose laughed. Her hand flew to her mouth, realizing what the joke entailed.

 _Did I just proposition my boss?_

"Err…" Scorpius swished his glass again, "We would have to be very discreet."

"Wait," Rose gaped at him, "Are you serious?"

"Why not?" he shrugged, "We're two consenting adults who know what they want. And I can't deny that the attraction is definitely there. For me at least."

"Me too," Rose said quickly. Her eyes locked on his again, and just the thought that this might be happening sent a sudden jolt through her body that pooled right below her belly.

"So, Something casual?" Rose continued, "We don't have to tell our friends." she added.

"Just us," he finished for her, eyes glimmering. Rose remembered the feel of his skin under her fingers.

"Our secret," she grinned.

"I do have two conditions," Scorpius pulled back, and she realized they had been leaning on the table, "If we're really doing this."

Rose nodded. "Sure."

"You're on the potion?" he asked.

"Definitely." she replied. She was not looking for kids any time soon.

"I'd also rather keep our relations monogamous, even if it's not serious. You can, of course, break this off any time, but that will be the end of it."

"That's not a problem," Rose nodded, blushing.

"Really?" Scorpius seemed genuinely surprised, "There's nobody else?"

"Well," Rose grimaced, her cheeks burning, "Nobody quite… Ahh… Measured up?"

Scorpius's eyes opened wide, and he broke into a gut-clenching laugh.

"Stop, people are looking!" Rose giggled, grabbing his arm.

…

They walked into the lab together and Rose officially introduced him to the team.

"Everyone, this is Scorpius Malfoy. He will be overseeing us for a few weeks to see what we're doing here. He may have many questions, feel free to answer them as best as you can," Rose nodded. Scorpius was a business man again, his hands in his pockets under the light gray dress robe he wore. She wanted nothing more than to see that robe on her bedroom floor.

"Alice," Rose motioned to her friend. Scorpius reached out a hand to shake hers professionally as if they hadn't been sniffling first years together, "Alice assists with all active projects."

Rose turned to another companion, "Auggie," she introduced. Scorpius shook the older man's hand.

"A Malfoy," Auggie grunted, "Surprised to see your kind making a name in business again." Rose flinched, but to her surprise, Scorpius was unfazed.

"Ahh, you know. Just trying to build the world up after my grandfather tore it down," Scorpius shrugged, a large grin plastered on his face.

Auggie laughed, a deep reverberating sound, "Good kid. You're alright."

"Auggie assists with publications, research, and consults on all the projects." Rose finished, turning to the next in line.

"Arthur is a trainee right now, hoping to head his own lab some day," Rose pointed out her young, tall worker.

"Hello Mister Malfoy," Arthur shook Scorpius's hand with too much enthusiasm, "I'm working with the Wolfsbane potion on a more efficient, longer lasting brew with the hopes to eventually cure Lycanthropy."

Scorpius turned to Rose with an impressed nod.

"Arthur has big dreams, and I'm not about to stop him," Rose grinned.

"Lastly, this is Millie," Rose motioned to the shortest of the group. Millie shook Scorpius's hand with a grin, "She's working to alleviate the extreme pain that comes with the Skele-gro potion."

"Similar to our successful work with a faster acting blood-thinning potion," Millie motioned to Rose, "We do big things here."

Rose looked around, remembering how proud she was of her team's work. How could Scorpius not like their projects?

"You'll be working with Auggie the rest of today. He'll make sure you're up to speed on the basic concepts before you dive into the logistics of each project," Rose nodded, heading to her own bench and leaving Scorpius to his own devices.

"Alright Malfoy, let's see what you've got," Auggie marched to his corner, Scorpius in tow.

"I think I've got a trick or two up my sleeve," he grinned.

Scorpius seemed to be doing well. When Rose took quick breaks between books, she caught herself glancing over. Auggie could tend to drag people for a ride, so she was glad he was standing his ground. By the time Rose wrapped up, the last of her team was headed out.

"Hey Miss Weasley, I'm leaving for the day," Sam popped his head in, "I think it's just you and Mister Malfoy. Do you mind locking up?"

"Not at all, have a great night, Sam," Rose waved a hand, and the door clicked, marking his departure. She flicked her wand, sending books to Auggie's magically expanding shelves. The door clicked a second time.

"Did you forget something, Sam?" she called, putting her wand down. Then there were hands lightly touching both of her arms from behind.

"I forget nothing, Rose," Scorpius's voice was warm on her shoulder. She leaned back into him. His scruff brushed against her cheek, and Rose shivered at the roughness.

"You didn't tell me about your project," he inquired, pressing his lips to her neck. She made a noise of contentment, moving a sheet of paper into his view.

"Well Mister Malfoy," she purred, leaning her head away from him and giving him better access to her neck, "I'm looking to improve on a very old potion." He trailed kisses up her neck, and her skin was white hot where he touched her.

"That seems to be the specialty here Miss Weasley," Scorpius murmured against her neck, the vibrations rolling through her. She lifted her arms, quickly grabbing his wrists and dragging them up her sides to her breasts.

"We do good work," she turned her head to him, capturing his lips in hers. She was trapped against him and the lab bench, his hands grasping at her breasts over her shirt. He trailed his fingers down and slipped his hands underneath her top and pushed up her bra so he could have better access. Rose gasped when his fingers grabbed her nipples roughly, pulling them hard.

She was surprised by how much she enjoyed the rough touch.

"Tell me about this old potion," he whispered against her lips, circling her breasts with his fingertips before pulling roughly on her nipples again. She gasped once more with the sudden intense sensation.

"Uhmm," Rose considered. What did she do for a living again? "The Mopsus Potion," she told him, closing her eyes as his hands wandered back down her torso to the waistband of her pants. He pulled them down roughly then brought his hands to her ass. She thanked god she was wearing lace and heels. Rose was sure her ass looked fantastic in lace and perky with the heels. Scorpius slipped his fingers from behind into her panties, tracing her wetness up to her clit.

"You're a little excited already, Rosie," Scorpius laughed, and she felt it through her whole body, "Keep telling me about that potion."

Rose whined in protest, grinding herself against his fingers. He slipped her lace underwear off and pushed her lab robe to one side.

"The Mospus Potion supposedly bestows the drinker with the Sight," she told him, leaning over her paperwork and spreading her legs, "for a short time."

Scorpius reached one hand around Rose's front, rubbing circles on the hood of her clit. "I want to," She tried to continue with her explanation, but he slipped a finger of the other hand into her from behind, curling it deliciously towards himself. It created a pressure deep in her, "Oh," she gasped, her breath picking up as his movements sped up, "I want to improve the potion for Auror use." she finished her sentence, and Scorpius pulled his finger out of her. She made a sound of disappointment, but then he was slipping two fingers in, and she hummed with appreciation.

He definitely knew how to use his hands.

His outer motion sped up, and she felt a building inside of her. She started panting, grinding on the two fingers he was curling inside of her. She tried to press her thighs together, relishing the friction. She started to clench around his fingers, feeling the tipping point, then, he pulled away quickly.

"What?" Rose gasped, spinning towards him, "Why did you-" then he turned her back towards the desk roughly, pushing her lab robe aside again. She heard him undoing his belt and unzipping his pants, and her legs shook with anticipation.

"Please Scorpius, I need…" and then she felt the head of him at her entrance. She was so wet that it took no effort for him to slide into her. Or, would have except for his size. His head slid in easily, and she felt a wonderful stretch as he pushed into her slowly.

"Is that okay?" he asked, pausing.

"Please," Rose begged, loving the feel of him inside of her. She forgot how nice the stretch felt. How filled she was. He moved slowly inside of her, pushing a little more of himself in with every thrust.

"Oh Rose," Scorpius said quietly, reaching his fingers around to stroke her clit, "You're so tight, I don't think I'm going to last long."

"Then don't stop touching me," Rose cried, feeling a build inside of her again. She slipped her own hands under her shirt, pinching her nipples roughly. She moaned at the same time as Scorpius, feeling herself clench down on his impossible length. He had stopped moving, but his hand was unrelenting, building her higher and higher. She felt herself beginning to crack, and then Scorpius started moving, pounding into her with light strokes. Her world came to a peak, and she came with a shout, grasping onto the desk and riding out the orgasm. Scorpius wasn't long after her, grabbing her hips tightly as his hips jerked a few final times, holding himself deep inside of her.

"Oh my god," Rose whispered to herself. Scorpius stayed in her, his dick twitching after his own orgasm, "Oh my god."

He pulled out in one swift motion, grabbing a potion wipe from her desk and cleaning himself off before zipping his pants again. Rose giggled _That's not what those are for._

She shifted to move, and felt his cum slip out of her onto her thighs.

"Oh I forgot about this part," Rose laughed again, holding her lab robe out of the way of the damage. Scorpius made a sound of agreement, walking towards her again. He grabbed her ass roughly, pulling her cheeks apart. Rose moaned softly as Scorpius kissed one of her ass cheeks.

"Now that is a beautiful sight," he commented, slipping a finger in his cum and rubbing it around her vagina. He slipped two fingers in quickly, and she gasped, still sensitive from his quick fuck.

He grabbed his used wipe from the desk and wiped his cum off of her with the dry side. She murmured her appreciation as he pulled her pants and trousers back up, kissing her lower back before pulling her lab robe in the correct position.

"You've fucked me senseless again," Rose muttered, unwilling to move from the desk. Scorpius walked by her, tossing the wipe in the disposal.

"It was absolutely lovely," he commented, pulling her back to a standing position despite her protest, "And now you should go home and get some rest."

Scorpius grabbed both sides of Rose's face and pulled her in for a sweet, tender kiss.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sir." Rose whispered against his lips. Scorpius breathed in deeply, slipping his fingers into her hair and holding tightly. She opened her eyes at his sudden fierceness.

"Sir," Scorpius tasted the word in his mouth, "I like that."

* * *

 _Author's Note: Thanks as always for reading! I hope you see the improvements I'm incorporating based on your reviews! I often lose interest in my projects, so my attempt to push out a chapter every day keeps me focused on the story, but clearly leaves big writing errors. I appreciate every word you leave for me in the review section, and love to see what you like and what you don't. See you tomorrow for C6!_


	6. The Invitation

.

 **Push** **& Pull**

 **Chapter 6**

 **The Invitation**

Rose walked into the lab the next day with a renewed work ethic. Getting laid was no excuse to not get work done. She had missed her roommate the night before and that morning, though Rose wasn't quite sure if she actually slept in the flat or not. Rose sat at her desk with two large coffees, getting right to work. Alice was the first one to arrive.

"Hey!" Rose handed Alice her usual, "I never got to talk to you about the other day."

Alice accepted the cup, dropping her bag on the floor of the lab, "What about the other day?" She asked innocently, taking a large sip.

"Oh, I don't know," Rose teased, "I may have drunkenly shoved my cousin into you in the hopes that you'd finally hook up with someone."

"He was nice," Alice mumbled into her cup, taking a seat next to Rose's work and peering at the papers. She picked one up and squinted at it, "Mopsus Potion?"

"Ancient shit that may give someone the Sight, we'll find out," Rose waved a hand, "What do you mean by nice?"

"We have a date tonight," Alice finally admitted, rolling her eyes.

"That's what I needed to hear!" Rose cheered, shoving Alice's arm playfully.

"Whatever Rose," Alice stood up, annoyance snuffed out by the smile creeping onto her face, "I've gotta go help Sam place the stock order if we want it on Monday."

"Oh, take this," Rose scrambled through her papers, finally handing Alice a long list of ingredients, "Some will be expensive or hard to find, so we may have to take an outing, but look into it please."

"You got it Miss Weasley," Alice took the list. She seemed like she wanted to say something more, but Rose barely noticed as something in one of her books caught her eye.

"Cinnamon!" she exclaimed, reaching for a quill and scribbling frantically, "Cinnamon has amplification properties, right?"

Rose was oblivious as the rest of her team slowly entered, picking up their daily tasks. She was, however, acutely aware when Scorpius finally walked in, though she forced herself to pretend she wasn't re-reading the same sentence about Yarrow root uses over and over. Millie was brewing on the desk opposite her, and today Scorpius seemed to be observing the woman's project. He did so mostly quietly, asking logistical questions every now and then. Millie was very patient and clear in her responses. Rose wondered if she learned that temperament from raising teenage boys. Every now and then Rose caught Scorpius's gaze drifting past the potions to her, and they locked eyes. Instead of looking away quickly, Rose kept staring and bit her lip, letting her gaze wander over his fitted white button up, imagining the tight muscles underneath. She was always the first to break their staring contest, and looked back to her books, flipping aimlessly.

By the time her lunch break rolled around, Rose was no closer to amplifying her potion than she was to making it. Scorpius had left before her team, and so Rose waited until two of her workers walked out for their own breaks, and exactly ten minutes after Scorpius left before slipping out. It was clearly a calculated endeavor if anyone had been paying attention.

She walked into her office and locked the door behind her, casting a quick silencing charm. Scorpius had taken his dress robe off and was sitting at his desk with his sleeves rolled up. Rose imagined him spanking her dressed like that, just like he had the first time.

" _Spank you?" he had asked, grabbing the hand on his chest. Rose felt something subtle shift in the air, sparking with electricity once more. The moment before had been heated, filled with the desire of what was to come. They were young. It should have been a quick shag and they'd both be on their ways, bragging to their friends about one hot night. But this moment held the promise of so much more._

 _Scorpius spun her around, shoving her torso onto the desk roughly. A yelp of surprise escaped from Rose's lips, and she felt a fresh gush of wetness come with it._

" _Rose Weasley, the head girl that loves to follow the rules-"_

" _We're not following the rules right now, are we?" She laughed, but it was cut short by Scorpius's hand brushing her thigh, grabbing tightly onto one of her cheeks._

" _Do you think we need some rules?" he laughed back, slapping her lightly. Rose let out a small gasp, and Scorpius was unimpressed._

" _Harder?"_

" _Harder." she responded, and he delivered. As soon as the word slipped out, his hand hit her much harder. The sting radiated through her lower back, and her whole body moved with the effort. A loud cry forced itself through her. It seemed as if the action was connected to her sex, clenching around nothing._

" _How is that?" Scorpius asked, less sure this time._

" _Please," she cried, and he spanked her again, twice in a row. He had moved his efforts to other areas of her ass, not staying in the same place twice. She moaned from the pain and pleasure, feeling so dirty for liking something so unusual._

"Mind a little company?" Rose raised a shoulder, grinning through her blush. Scorpius looked up from his work and responded with a sad smile.

"Unfortunately I have to run right now," he crossed the room, and stood in front of her. He reached out, grabbing a stray curl of her hair, "Maybe we can reschedule?"

Rose pouted, and Scorpius slid his hand to her ponytail, pulling it back roughly and holding her at his mercy. He ran the thumb of his other hand against her lips.

"Oh Rose," he growled, and Rose sighed lightly at his touch, feeling extremely exposed, "Don't you make those faces at me, or I'll never make it to my afternoon meeting." She had half a mind to convince him not to when he released her. He got to work unrolling his sleeves as she collected herself.

"I'll see you for lunch tomorrow," Scorpius collected his things and returned to Rose, "Shit, tomorrow's Saturday," he brought a thumb to his lip as he considered. Rose imagined how she could tease him if that were his finger on her lip again. But she was no longer restrained by his touch, and they were alone.

Rose closed the distance between them, reaching out and pulling his hand from his face. He looked at her, bewildered as she put his thumb up to her mouth.

"Will I get to see you this weekend, Sir?" she purred. Then Rose stuck her tongue out and licked his thumb from the bent knuckle to the tip. She watched the change in his expression from confused, to intrigued, to lustful. She turned his hand slightly and bit the pad of his thumb.

"I'm a very busy man Miss Weasley," he murmured to her, dropping his coat and slipping his free hand onto her hair once again. Then she sucked his thumb into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it quickly. Scorpius hummed in appreciation, "And you're making me late."

Then Scorpius slipped his hand away from her, releasing his thumb with a _pop_. He shoved her against the door to the office, kissing her roughly. It took all the breath from her, and she was panting as he trailed his kisses down her jaw. He stopped to suck lightly at the space just below her earlobe, and she squirmed at the soft touch. He trailed his fingers down her torso as he dropped to his knees.

"I like this," he noted at her pencil skirt, hiking it up. Underneath, she wore thigh-high stockings and no underwear. She blushed as he stopped to admire the view.

"I _really_ like this," he slipped his hand from her knee to the top of the stocking, sliding around to grip the underside of her thigh. He pushed it up, forcing Rose's weight to the other leg and swung the thigh over his shoulder, opening her up to him.

Then his mouth was on her, unrelenting. He swirled around her clit, and Rose tried to pull away from the too-intense sensation. Noticing the reaction, he went higher, flicking his tongue lightly at the hood to her clit. She sighed at the more comfortable feeling, until he surprised her by adding in the earlier motion. It resulted in a quick build to her orgasm, and she realized how much she needed this. Rose shuddered with a sigh as it rippled through her.

Scorpius placed her leg down carefully and stood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The motion alone left Rose wanting more. She grabbed for his pants and he pulled back, reaching for his stuff.

"I really do have to go," he gave her a small smile.  
"I can't return the favor?" Rose asked, mind still fuzzy from the orgasm.

"Save it for Monday," Scorpius responded leaving her with a lingering kiss.

"Sure," she muttered, fixing her ponytail. When Scorpius finally left the room though, Rose couldn't help but groan loudly in frustration.

…

When the clock struck five, Rose left immediately, for once walking out with all her workers on a Friday.

"You're telling me about your date tomorrow!" Rose called after Alice before she apparated home. Rose was surprised once again to be met by an empty flat, although for once, she wasn't complaining. She ran to the shower, pulling her clothes off and stepping in quickly, letting the hot water wash over her body. She thought once again of that night in seventh year.

 _Scorpius spanked her twice more on the other cheek, and before the pain could finish traveling through her body, he shoved two fingers in her roughly. Rose was so lost in the sensation that she didn't understand the noises that were coming out of her. She didn't care if they were attractive or not, she only knew that if he wasn't inside of her soon, she would die. She pushed her body back against his hands, and he removed them quickly, watching her carefully as she turned around._

" _Scorp, I need you," she cried, kissing him with a need that she'd never felt before. He moaned into her mouth, lifting her onto the desk and pulling his pants down. He was at her entrance in a moment and held himself there with one hand, looking to her eyes._

" _Are you sure?" he asked, searching her for any doubt, "Are you on the potion?"_

" _Yes, please Scorp, for the love of-" and her sentence was lost as he started to slide into her. She moaned as she felt herself stretch around him. He was not small by any means, and her last boyfriend had been just smaller than average. He seemed to feel this, and moved slowly, pushing in steadily. The sensation was so erotic, and he was so attractive when he looked unrestrained, that she felt herself building already. He started thrusting slowly, slipping a little more of himself into her each time. She gasped lightly with every thrust, and his enthusiasm matched hers._

" _I'm not going to last," he admitted, and she grabbed his face, forcing her lips onto his. He pushed into her the rest of the way with one large thrust, and she couldn't contain herself. She cried his name as she came around him simply for entering her, and he moved through her orgasm, reaching his quickly after._

...

It was only when Rose was perfectly comfortable on her couch on a friday night with her roommate that an owl tapped at her window.

"Who sends post on a friday night?" Roxanne groaned, putting her whiskey down and rolling off the couch onto the floor. Rose was in hysterics, giggling into her glass as Roxanne crawled unceremoniously to the window to let the creature in. He swooped into the flat, depositing the letter on the counter.

"I don't know this guy," Roxanne went to fetch him a treat. Rose spun around, leaning over the back of the chair to watch her get the post. Rose secretly loved post. It was like a little surprise in an envelope. Before you opened it, a letter could be anything.

"Here you go, friend!" she placed the treat on the windowsill, going back to the letter on the counter. She picked it up, catapulting herself over the back of the couch to join Rose.

"What is it?" Rose grabbed the letter, seeing her name on the front.

"Looks super fancy," Roxanne responded, curling up next to her.

She tried very hard to open the letter one-handed, and Roxanne offered her hand to help. The two girls held their whiskey glasses tightly as they tore the letter in half, depositing the letter on Rose's lap. It had a green wax seal.

"Oh my god," Rose picked it up, investigating it carefully.

"What is it?" Roxanne's interest was peaked.

"I think it's an invitation to the Slughorn Awards," Rose responded, looking back to her friend.

"What the hell is that?" Roxanne crinkled her nose, "Slugs?"

"No, it's a gala to celebrate magical research, offering awards to incredible discoveries and inventions. It would make my career to be honored," Rose handed Roxanne her glass, breaking the seal and opening the letter.

" _Rose Jean Weasley, you are formally invited as a nominee-_ AHH!" Rose clasped a hand over her mouth, bursting with excitement.

"When is it?" Roxanne hugged her friend, and Rose shifted to keep the letter in sight.

"This Thursday," she was beaming, "the whole lab's invited! I can't believe this, we have to celebrate!"

Roxanne laughed, handing Rose her whiskey back, "Rose, congratulations-" "Thank you!" "-but it's like eleven at night, tell everyone in the morning!"

"You're right," Rose responded, taking deep breaths. At last she looked to her roommate and clinked glasses with her.

"Sounds like we need to go shopping!" Roxanne cheered, downing her glass.

* * *

 _Author's note : Hello guys! Sorry for the long wait. I had a bit of a personal injury and had to take some time dealing with the pain. Luckily for you, that means I've spent a lot of the time on the plot, and this story will be gradually heading in some crazy directions, I'm just deciding how exactly to get there. As always, I love the feedback. It inspires me, gives me ideas, and keeps me going! Thank you for returning to read this newest chapter. _


	7. Full English

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 7**

 **Full English**

Rose tossed and turned all night. At about 3am, she sat up in bed and strongly considered flooing over to Alice's place to tell her the news. She forced herself to lay back down, drifting in and out until 7am. She knew she couldn't wake her roommate up for company, so she wrote up letters to her staff inviting them out to dinner that night, and a special one to call Alice over for breakfast. She sat for a long time before she decided to invite Scorpius out too. He was technically her boss during the takeover, and she was sure he would know about the nomination. She made the letter decidedly casual, mentioning that she'd be announcing the news at the dinner and he was welcome to join them. Once they were dropped off in the box for her landlord's owl to take, she got started cooking. Roxanne awoke long before her usual hours, tempted from her room by the promise of food. Before she even sat down, Rose piled a plate with eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and tomatoes and set it at her counter seat.

"Where the hell is my tea?" Roxanne pounded her fists on the counter, and Rose spun to give her a long stare, strongly considering tossing the spatula at her.

"Kidding!" Roxanne giggled, standing up and making her way to the teapot, "I'll make enough for the both of us."

"That's what I like to hear," Rose grinned, plating two more breakfasts. She brought them to the counter, sitting down patiently for the tea.

"Are we waiting on someone?" Roxanne asked. She leaned against the counter, listening for the water to heat up.

"No, these are both for me," Rose pulled the plates in front of her, grinning wickedly.

A crack sounded outside of the apartment and Alice entered, ruining Rose's joke.

"You should have told me to make enough for three!" Roxanne teased, waving a greeting to Alice.

"You always make enough tea for twelve, I think we're fine," Rose rolled her eyes. She didn't need to let Alice know that her food was ready. Her friend gravitated to the counter all on her own, taking a seat and digging in.

"Slow down! You have to tell us about your date!" Rose flapped her arms frantically, and Alice groaned.

"I was really hoping to push that off a little longer," she admitted.

"Well you can," Rose was bouncing in her chair, "Because I've been nominated for a Slughorn award!"

"No way Rose, congratulations!" Alice screamed, leaning from her stool precariously and wrapping her in a big hug. They laughed together for a moment, appreciating all they'd been through.

"See Roxanne, that's the proper response to news like this," Rose teased, turning to her roommate. Roxanne stuck her tongue out. She then poured the tea with lots of sugar.

"That's what dinner is about then?" Alice questioned. She turned immediately to her food, not waiting for an answer.

"Yes! I can't wait to tell everyone, they'll be so excited," Rose accepted her tea from Roxanne with a large grin that couldn't be wiped off her face for anything in the world, "Now that that's out of the way, you have to tell me about your date!"

"Wait, there was a date?" Roxanne handed Alice her tea.

Alice took a sip and flinched at the heat, "With Albus. It was nice. I had fun." her reassuring tone did nothing for Rose's curiosity.

"Come on, I need details! Start from the beginning," Rose finally got started on her food, "Where did he take you?"

"We went to this cute little hole-in-the-wall italian place. It was really good," she finished her bacon, grabbing a slice of toast to dip in her eggs, "he was really awkward, and it was adorable." Alice grinned to herself. She went back to work on her food.

"He's never had a girlfriend before, right?" Alice asked between bites.

Rose surfaced from her breakfast, finishing with a pat on her tummy, "No, he was with that one girl for like a year. I don't remember seeing much of her though. She was his only one I think. Oh! Remember when he turned down Carmela Zabini in sixth year?" Rose laughed.

"How could I forget? She hexed him in the great hall!" Roxanne exclaimed, waving a sausage in exclamation.

"Then she told everyone that it was because he was gay. Because god forbid a man isn't ready to die for the girl," Rose's nose crinkled at the memory. The three laughed for a moment, wrapped up in Hogwarts memories.

"He's not, is he?" Alice finally asked.

"He's not what?" Rose questioned, confused.

"Gay? Albus? Of course not!" Roxanne scoffed, bringing her plate and Rose's to the sink.

"Why not?" Alice wondered aloud, "Have you hooked up with him?"

"God no," Roxanne spun quickly, stomping that one out before it started, "I just know the guy. Most manly man I know, that one."

"Well, being manly doesn't mean you're not gay," Rose laughed, "You're straight and you're not exactly the most feminine woman out there."

The three pondered for a moment in the awkward silence.

"Not that it matters much if he is," Rose finally said, "But what would that mean for Alice's date?"

"Oh, we're not going out again," Alice replied. As soon as she set her fork down, Roxanne swept her plate away from her, "He was really sweet, but he's still Albus from Hogwarts to me."

"Well that solves that!" Roxanne wiped her hands together as if she were done with the whole thing, "Let's go buy dresses for that thing on thursday!"

…

Rose didn't always like shopping. In fact, there was once a time that she hated anything other than pants. It was Roxanne, actually, that got her into the whole thing. Roxanne prided herself on being able to drop her tomboy everyday look and put on a gown for the formal functions that any Weasley or Potter had to attend. Rose had always admired the way she was like one of the muggle fairy tales her mother had always told her of: she could wish away her life for a night and be a stunning young girl in a ballgown, stealing the hearts of anyone around her. It was a fundraiser in sixth year that Rose finally asked if she could join Roxanne and her mother shopping, and her life was forever changed.

Today, Rose found herself in a new muggle designer shop in London. She couldn't pronounce the name, but it wasn't even witch-friendly. They had to exchange currency at Gringotts before they even stepped in. But as Rose took in the glory of this beautiful venue, she had no regrets for the extra few steps.

A sales associate assisted them to pick out several gowns for the occasion. "An academic award ceremony," they had dubbed it. Roxanne looked beautiful in the first long, black gown she tried on. It had a cutout that her dark skin poked through beautifully, the slight shimmer in the material only complimenting her natural glow. She really should have been a model.

After several dresses, Alice picked an off the shoulder chiffon dress in dark blue that complemented her thin frame beautifully.

Rose felt frumpy in everything she tried on. Her curves seemed to sit in all the wrong places, and she just ended up feeling fat after the 10th dress.

"Let me in!" Roxanne demanded, pushing through the curtain without waiting for a response. Rose was in nothing but her undies, which had little broomsticks all over them.

"Cute," Roxanne snorted, handing Rose a pile of sparkle on a hanger, "Try this one on."

Rose threw the hangar on a chair and stepped into the gown, pulling it up, "It's not gonna fit," she told Roxanne knowingly.

"Shut up and suck it in," Roxanne demanded, pulling the zipper up. With only a little bit of effort, the dress was on, and it fit like a glove. Looking into the mirror, Rose didn't recognize her own body. The top was coated in gold glitter which cascaded down to a black bottom. It hugged her tight in places that it shouldn't, but they were smoothed over by the beautiful material of the dress.

"You're a bloody genius," Rose admitted, spinning around. And her ass looked perfect. Score!

"What the hell is that," Roxanne licked her finger, running it roughly against Rose's chest.

"Woah, gross Roxanne!" Rose shoved her hands away, making squeamish noises.

"Rose Weasley, do you have a hickey?" Roxanne's voice started to raise. Rose let go of her arms in favor for covering Roxanne's mouth with a loud shush. Her eyes widened behind Rose's hands, and Rose felt a little dizzy. She pulled her hands away slowly,, warning Roxanne with a look.

"Rose, you tell me right now if you're getting laid, or so help me,"

"Fine! Yes. I'm sleeping with someone," Rose sat down in the gown, suddenly feeling very restricted. Was that the material or her stomach? She couldn't tell.

"Sleeping with?! What does that even mean?" Roxanne crossed her arms.

"You bloody well know what that means Roxanne, you do it all the time."

"Yeah, but I _do that all the time_. Who even are you?" She laughed, teasing.

"It's Scorpius, we can't exactly have a relationship now can we?"

Roxanne leaned against the wall, "Holy shit Rose, what are you doing?"

Rose grinned back at her, "Having a hell of a time."

"Well I'd hope so. Your dad would kill you for sleeping with a Malfoy."

Rose stood quickly, taking a step forward and poking her in the chest, "Roxanne, my dad will _never_ know that I so much as looked at Malfoy, do you understand?"

Roxanne put her hands up in a show of mercy, "Rose, your dad would kill me for being the one to tell him. Now can we show Alice the dress and try not to let the world know about this fiasco before your dad _senses_ that his daughter is shagging out of wedlock?"

It was with a groan of defeat that Rose followed Roxanne to the main room, showing off the dress to the associates and Alice. All were very proud, and the girls checked out under budget. Apparently. Rose didn't use muggle money often, she honestly had no idea.

…

The dresses were put away, Rose was redone up, and she had on a form-fitting dress before she flooed to Alice's to collect the girl. Alice's flat was stark white, a small space with a dining room table in the entryway and a large bookshelf in the corner.

"Almost ready?" Rose called into the space, taking a seat at the table.

"Yeah, just a minute!" Alice called back.

With the lack of decoration, Rose's attention was pulled to the bookshelf.

Alice had eclectic tastes it seemed. There was everything from old textbooks to fantasy novels. One runic text in particular caught her eye, and Rose stood, making her way to the shelf.

 _Alice never took ancient runes,_ Rose noted to herself, running a finger down the spine. Understandably, it was flanked by an introductory book to runes. Rose opened to a random page. It seemed to be outlining details of runic rituals. Rose had never gotten into that kind of magic, as it was reserved for historians observing old magic. She'd been obsessed with new magic in school, but as her studies continued past Hogwarts, she found value in old practices. Rose wondered briefly how Alice came across a ritual book.

She heard footsteps from down the hall, and fumbled quickly to put the book where she had found it. She shouldn't be going through her friend's things, regardless of how fascinating they might be. She took a large step away from the shelf and fiddled with her hands idly as if she'd been standing there waiting.

"Alright, off we go," Alice walked past Rose, opening the small container she used for floo powder.

The two stepped into a busy Three Broomsticks, brushing themselves off.

"Oh shit, it's Hogsmeade weekend at Hogwarts," Rose ducked around the edge of the room, looking for her team. She felt a tap on the shoulder and turned to see the ginger mop of A very familiar Weasley.

"Hey sis!" Hugo grinned.

* * *

 _Author's Note: I apologize, this is the shortest chapter since my first one. I hope that this throws a tinytiny bit of the friend dynamic in there, and I can't WAIT for family interactions next chapter. That's part of the reason I love nextgen so much, is all the cousins. These next few chapters might feel a bit slow as I build to the first major conflict, so I'm trying to spice them up as much as possible. Having my friend over Sunday for some wine and second opinions, so I hope that helps! Can't wait for the awards ceremony! As always I LOVE your reviews! I read all of them and truly take the feedback to heart, so the constructive but not rude is perfect. The short encouragements are adored as well. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU FOR READING! _


	8. Games & Trust

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 8**

 **Games & Trust**

"Rose!" Hugo grins, tipping his butterbeer to her, "It has been way too long."

"You're a seventh year you twit, you'll see me every month for the rest of your life," Rose rolled her eyes, "Where's Lily and Lucy?"

"Oh you know, NEWTs coming up in a week or two, they're studying their arses off," he shrugged, sipping his cup. When his face reappeared, he had a mustache of white whipped cream. Rose didn't bother to let him know.

"And why aren't you studying? Don't you need it more than they do?" Rose raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny," Hugo drawled sarcastically, "Actually I'm going to work with dad and George at the shop, so to hell with the NEWTs. They're looking to finally buy Zonko's here in Hogsmeade and turn it into another branch, and I _really_ want to manage it."

"Don't get enough of a fix torturing your classmates as it is?" Rose accused, "They'd be glad to be rid of you, I'm sure."

"Hey, Headmaster Mcgonagall is gonna miss my face popping up," Hugo grinned, "Anyways at least I'm doing something. Lily still hasn't decided what she wants to do with her life."

"That's okay," Rose tried to defend her cousin, "She's really young, doesn't need to know right away."

"Yeah, but even Loony Lucy has something lined up," Hugo said, suddenly serious, "What with that ministry internship and all, she needs those high NEWTs. Why doesn't Lily just go into the joke shop or government like everyone else?"

"Shut up, I didn't do any of that," Rose reminded him with a smirk.

"Why are you here tonight anyways? Not to catch up with me, I'm sure," Hugo snorted, sipping on his drink some more.

"Hey, I like you, don't forget that," Rose reached up to try to tousle his red hair, but was too short and ended up flicking his bangs. Why was everyone in her family ten feet tall?

"But no, we're out celebrating. I got nominated for a big award in potioneering, and I'm about to announce it to the people who helped with the work," Rose smiled. She really couldn't wait to tell them.

"Congratulations Rosie," Hugo tousled her hair successfully, and Rose shouted in protest, "They're gonna be so proud."

"Yeah, I should go back to save Alice from our co-workers," Rose admitted with a wince.

"How is Alice?" Hugo asked, "I haven't talked to her since the funeral over winter break."

"She's getting by," Rose responded quickly, "She's thrown herself into work, but her dad just sold the business to the Malfoys."

"Ouch," Hugo grimaced, "Maybe it reminds him of her or something. I mean when Uncle Fred died, George would have given up the shop if not for dad's help. Mom's told us that a thousand times. Losing someone that close to you…"

"Yeah, I can't imagine losing our mum," Rose looked across the room, locking gazes with Alice. Her friend smiled back, beckoning her over.

"Anyways, enough of this sour talk. Good luck on your NEWTs, I'll see you for graduation," Rose hugged her brother, departing to meet her growing group.

"What if I don't want to go?" he called after her.

"Everyone will kill you if you don't," Rose responded with a grin.

"Fair enough," Hugo muttered to himself on her departure.

"So as much as I love you all, I didn't gather you tonight because I was lonely on a Saturday night," Rose announced. She stood with her back facing the pub, surrounded by every person in her lab except for Scorpius. Which was okay, she didn't expect him to come. _Inviting him was just a formality, really._ She told herself.

"I received a letter yesterday announcing my nomination for a Slughorn award, and inviting our lab to the ceremony on Thursday," Rose raised a glass to her table, "We did it guys!"

The table erupted with cheers of excitement. Alice was just as glowing as she had been the day before when Rose had told her. Sam was over the moon, babbling loudly with Alice about how excited he was for the ceremony. Millie grabbed her forehead, leaning back in her chair. She looked faint, but recovered quickly, clapping and beaming at Rose. Arthur was wringing his hands nervously, muttering about public appearances. Auggie was stoic, but a small smile crept onto his face.

"I think we need shots," Rose waved down a bartender.

It took some convincing, but the team finally agreed to a celebratory shot along with their drinks. When the drinks started to kick in, Rose noticed that Millie was adorable when she was tipsy.

"You know, after Colby was born, my life was never the same," she hiccuped, "That kid is just weird! Knew he was a wizard the second he was born, because he turned my hair pink. Took weeks to turn it back! You should see the pictures."

Arthur wasn't much better. "Being muggle-born is no picnic, let me tell you. When I was finally legal and could get the house clean in ten minutes, my mum cursed me out the window she did. 'Why the hell did you never do that before, do you know how much shit I could have gotten done?!', and so I said 'because it was _fucking illegal_ mum,' bloody hell."

Millie decided to leave early on because her husband would be missing her, and she didn't want to run into the boys. Auggie left too, citing that he preferred the comfort of a fire and some scotch. They thanked Rose for the drinks, and disappeared into the crowd.

"You look like you're empty," a familiar voice sounded behind Rose. A hand appeared to her left, holding a mug of butterbeer. She took it and looked behind her to see Scorpius holding a tray of them, "hope you don't mind that I bought a celebratory round."

Rose's grin broadened, welcoming him to the table.

"Have you heard the good news?!" Sam spoke a little too loudly for those who sat directly in front of him, "We're going to the big party on Thursday! Suits and all!" Sam cheered. He downed the rest of his mug quickly, grabbing a second.

"I have, I ran into Millie on the way out," Scorpius was grinning at Rose. He leaned forward, his scruff brushing against her cheek, "Congratulations, Rose," she could hear the smile in his voice. He pulled back, taking in the table, "To a young, brilliant team, and an exciting year," he cheered, clinking glasses with the table.

They drank late into the night, telling odd stories about strange families and Hogwarts mishaps.

"Well, okay, it's a great story really," Sam giggled, "You know how they brought back the Yule ball for Hogwarts students every fall to extend tradition, and you can ask someone with a wreath," the table nodded, thinking of their own celebrations, "I was actually handed two wreaths at once; one from a girl in my Herbology class, and one from the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain. I wanted to be popular so badly that I said yes to the Quidditch captain, even though he was two years older than me. I didn't really know him, but every time I saw him in the hallway until the ball, I blushed like mad and you know, butterflies, blahblahblah. He brought me to the ball and danced with me all night, never suggesting anything more. So I kissed him on the dance floor and was like 'wow, okay. So this is what a kiss is supposed to feel like,' and I've never turned back."

Rose couldn't help but glance over at Scorpius, but when she did, she noticed that he was already staring at her. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile that matched his eyes, and Rose's heart stopped.

"I'm a virgin," Arthur blurted, giggling to himself.

"Okay, time to get you home," Rose laughed, standing up.

"I've got it," Alice linked an arm with him, "He lives right down the road from me."

"I'll back you up," Sam grabbed Arthur's other arm.

"You sure you have him?" Scorpius asked, humor wrapped up into a sly grin.

"Yeah, get home safe!" Sam said, leading Arthur to the fireplace.

Rose and Scorpius laughed for a moment, looking over the empty table.

"Would you like to join me for another drink?" Scorpius asked, face lighting up hopefully.

"Sure, firewhiskey okay?" Rose stood, motioning to the bar.

"Yes, but I have plenty in my hotel room," Scorpius grabbed her hand, grinning mischievously.

"We have spent quite a lot tonight," Rose responded, following him to the fireplace.

They flooed to his hotel, giggling about their coworkers.

"Oh, you should have heard Alice after her date yesterday," Rose laughed, stepping into the elevator. The hotel was beautiful, ornate and large. She tried to act unimpressed.

"Didn't she go out with Albus?" Scorpius asked, pushing the top button.

"Oh, penthouse. Impressive," Rose raised an eyebrow at Scorpius.

"Why have thousands of galleons if you're not going to spend them," Scorpius shrugged. Rose's parents were well off, but they lived inside their means, only spending frivolously on the occasional vacation, or when donating to charities. She'd never experienced this kind of luxury before.

So when they stepped into a beautiful hotel room five times larger than her flat, Rose was a little taken back. She walked through the entryway to a large rounded couch in the center of what stood as the livingroom. Behind it, there were large glass pannels that served doubly as windows and the wall to the apartment. There was a gorgeous view of london in the background. On her right, there appeared to be a small library and door to a bathroom slightly ajar. To the left, the room opened up to a full kitchen with a bar in the center. Scorpius walked there now, pulling out two glasses and pouring firewhiskey.

"So how did the date go?" Scorpius brought the whiskey to the sitting area, waiting for Rose to join him. She did, taking her heels off and curling up on the couch before taking the glass.

"Not so well I think," Rose responded, sipping on the glass, "You and Albus are still close, aren't you?" she asked, honestly unsure.

"We are," he responded.

"Then don't you already know how the date went?" Rose smiled, enjoying the expression change in his features.

"Touche," he raised his glass, taking a sip, "I was just wondering how things went on her side."

"Well she implied that he was gay," Rose winced, "Just before she asked if Roxanne slept with him."

"That's disgusting," Scorpius gaped, "Well, the incest, not the sexuality. Clearly." he leaned back, considering.

"I'm sure she was just hurt that things didn't go well," Rose continued, brow knit in thought, "though Alice has never been one to lash out."

"She's been through a lot in the last year though, has she not?" Scorpius asked, concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I guess she has," Rose sipped on her whiskey some more.

"Let's lighten up the mood a little," Scorpius grinned, "how about a game?"

Rose smiled, her lips pressed against her glass, "I like games."

"I realize that we have never been close, and we don't know much about each other," Scorpius finished his glass, placing it on the table. Rose was impressed, she still had a lot of liquid left, "But I like my games to be interesting. How about strip twenty questions?"

Rose blushed at the thought, "I definitely don't have twenty articles of clothing on," she laughed, "And I know for a fact that you have much more than me."

"Alright," he grinned, "Count, how many do you have."

Rose thought for a moment, "Five. Six if you decide to include my bracelet. Seven if you count each thigh-high individually."

"Very specific," Scorpius chuckled to himself, "Well I have seven. Eight if you include my watch. How about we stick with five?"

He kicked off his shoes, and took his watch off, "Bracelet off. For each question that is asked, we have to take an article of clothing off the other person," he studied Rose, eyes blazing with the promise of what was to come, "deal?"

"Deal," Rose slipped her bracelet off, "But I'm not touching your socks."

Scorpius looked at her curiously.

"I don't know, I just really don't like feet," she shrugged.

"Okay, first question," he takes his socks off with a grin, "Is there anything else you don't like?"

"What do you mean specifically? I don't like shrimp," Rose crinkled her nose.

"No, I mean like hard limits sexually," Scorpius corrected. Rose smiled, turning pink.

Rose giggled, "Oh whoops," she watched as he placed his socks nicely over where his shoes sat.

"I mean, I'm not really sure. I haven't experimented as much as I want to. Like I said, I don't like feet," she looked at him curiously, "What about you?"

"Is that a question?" he teased. Rose considered for a moment, "No, I'd rather find out as we go along."

She thought about her own five questions. Only five. What did she want to know about Scorpius?

"Why did you go into your father's business?" she asked, downing her drink. She shrugged her jacket off onto the couch. Her short dress had thin straps, and her freckled shoulders were exposed to the room. Scorpius reached for Rose, cupping her face with one hand. She leaned into his touch.

He moved his fingers lightly down her neck, tracing them over her shoulder, "I spent a year traveling after graduation, and he convinced me to help out until I figure out what I want to do with my life," Scorpius shrugged, "He didn't force me, and doesn't intend for me to take over the company. He only offered me the job so that I could have a stable income and we could spend more time together. I think he really missed having me around." Scorpius raised his eyebrows, likely saying that out loud for the first time. "I made it clear that I'm not a businessman."

"You could have fooled me," Rose raised an eyebrow. She reached forwards, pushing the robe off of Scorpius's shoulders.

"What was it like growing up with your family?" Scorpius brought his hands to her wrists.

"So much family," Rose giggled, letting Scorpius take her hands. He played with her fingers as she spoke, "I have about a thousand cousins, each one stranger than the last. You've met most of them from when you used to come to the summer ones. We had get togethers every week growing up, but now it's about every month."

"Yeah, I've met your crazy family," Scorpius laughed, "but I only really know it from Albus's side. What are your parents like?"

"Oh sure," Rose stared at their intertwined hands, "Dad's a bit of a jokester. He likes to make fun of us all the time, and working at the joke shop hasn't helped," Rose grinned, "Mom was always really busy with the Ministry, but it was important to her that we all had family dinner every night. So when I was very young, I spent a lot of time at the shop with Uncle George and Ron. Roxanne went to daycare, so I didn't see much of her growing up. We didn't become good friends until we started Quidditch."

"I'm surprised that you didn't become a class clown like your brother," Scorpius noted. He let go of her hands and pulled a leg from under her, earning a squeal of surprise. He placed her leg on his lap, reaching up under her skirt to slip his fingers under the tight. He did so delicately, sliding the silky material down her leg.

"I got sick of it pretty quickly," Rose grinned, relishing in the sensation of his fingers on her inner thigh, "I spent too much time with the Potion intern."

"Why am I not surprised," Scorpius muttered, discarding the first tight and reaching up for the second. This time, the back of his hand brushed against her panties, and she felt her stomach turn with delight. He pulled the second tight down even slower, this time deliberately digging his fingers into her skin. Rose licked her lips, hoping for a second that they would skip the game and he would just touch her. But she was very still as he pulled it off.

"Good," he smiled up at her, "Very good."

"So how about a Malfoy?" she sat forward, putting her hands on his chest. She let her fingers trail down to his belt, "What was it like growing up?"

She used the opportunity to stare at his pants before she moved her fingers, sure of her movements before she made them.

"I'm an only child of parents who loved each other dearly. I had a wonderful childhood," Scorpius leaned back, watching Rose's movements, "Our house was always big and creepy, but my father has this obsession with improving on the past. He says that we can't pretend that the past never happened, can't forget it. We can only move forward and try to make up for it."

Rose unzipped Scorpius's pants, tugging on them, so that he understood to pull them down. Scorpius shifted, lifting his bum and pulling them to his knees where he could kick them off.

"Do you agree with him?" she asked. Scorpius stared at her curiously as if he were recalling an old memory.

"I do," he said at last, "My father is a great man who has been kind to everyone. He loves me dearly, especially since mother passed, and wants every success for me. I only hope that I can do them proud."

Rose's heart ached thinking of Scorpius's unconditional love for his family. She tended to take her family for granted. She had so many of them who loved her that she didn't have to consider it. She had only lost her grandfather Arthur, and that was as a very young child. She couldn't imagine not having her choice of cousins to lean on in such a loss.

She couldn't think of anything to say, so she leaned forward and pressed her lips softly against his. The kiss was tender, a reassurance. It was filled with her feeling of inadequacy, making up for what she couldn't express.

"Thank you," he responded, cupping her face, "I think we need more whiskey," he said at last.

"I agree," Rose laughed, standing up and sobering quickly. The moment was very romantic, and she felt awkward about it. She watched him cross the room in only his button up and underpants. His butt looked fantastic in the form-fitting boxers. Okay, so he was really sweet. Rose felt the beginnings of something dangerous, and folded it up, shoving it into a little box in the corner of her mind.

Scorpius returned with her filled glass, and she took it with a thank you. They sipped and considered their next questions carefully. Scorpius turned to look at Rose, and she faced him, catching his gaze and smiling. He smiled back.

"Do you trust all of your coworkers?" Scorpius asked suddenly.

Rose was very confused, "Is that a question?" she asked. In response, he leaned over and set his glass down on the table. He slid his large hands up her outer thighs, pulling the fabric of her dress up and over her breasts. Rose raised her arms and tilted her head back, allowing him to pull the fabric over her head. Her curls settled on her shoulders once more, and Scorpius discarded the dress, dragging a hand down Rose's front.

"I do trust my coworkers," she said at last, standing very still as Scorpius slid his arm around her waist, "I handpicked my staff, taking on each one because of their skills."

"They are truly skilled," Scorpius agreed quietly, "But do you think any of them would do something malicious. Like for example, leak your research to another company?" His voice was pure honey, but his words cut at her. She considered for a moment. Would anyone do anything so awful?

"No," Rose responded, "My staff loves working in our lab. We pay very well, and allow for freedom of research. If they were unhappy, they'd say so."

"Good," Scorpius said at last, pulling his hand back with a smile. That wasn't a great question. Rose wondered why he would ask. Was he trying to do his job? Evaluating potential losses, potential cuts? They were together to spend time with each other, what was his problem? Well two could play at that game.

"Okay," Rose started to unbutton Scorpius's shirt, "Have you and Albus ever hooked up?" Scorpius tensed beneath her fingers, but Rose didn't stop unbuttoning his shirt. She kept her eyes focused on her fingers, waiting patiently for his response.

"I'm not sure that's my secret to tell," Scorpius responded quietly. Rose paused in her unbuttoning for a moment, but resumed quickly.

"Your relationships are your own," Rose responded rather diplomatically, though her intentions were entirely selfish.

"No," he responded quickly, "We have never hooked up, though we did fool around once in sixth year."

Rose was extremely surprised by this, "Oh," was all she could say.

"Yeah," he shrugged, "It was awkward, and I regretted it, but it helped him figure some things out."

"What about you?" Rose asked, slipping the button up off of Scorpius's shoulders. She placed it nicely on the table.

"I was never attracted to him, but it wasn't a bad experience," Scorpius shrugged. Rose nodded.

"My turn," Scorpius stepped forward, running his fingers along the fabric of her bra. He spun her around and unclipped her bra. Rose let the straps fall off her shoulders, and Scorpius pushed them the rest of the way down. His fingers slid up her torso, "Do you trust me?" he murmured into her neck, and his hands cupped her breasts carefully.

"Yes," Rose sighed as his fingers brushed against her nipples.

"No," Scorpius told her, "I need you to really consider. Do you trust me?" He pulled his hands back, resting them lightly on her hips. He held his lips just against her neck, breathing over her skin, but not distracting her. Rose thought carefully. Did she trust him? What did he mean by that? Instead of asking, Rose considered the worst situation she could think of. Forget life or death, Scorpius was a good man. Death happened in an instant. Worse than death was the thought of losing herself in another person. Could she ever trust Scorpius with her heart? Was it him that she didn't trust, or herself?

"I… I think so," she admitted.

"I'll have to work on that then," Scorpius reasoned.

Rose wasn't sure how she felt about these developments. She had no idea if he meant what she was perceiving, and no way to find out before considering her thoughts. She did, however, have one question nagging from that little box in the back of her mind. Scorpius sucked at her neck, grazing his teeth along her pulse point. Rose moaned, and the little box flew open.

"Would we have been together?" she asked, her voice light and breathy. He pulled back, and Rose spun towards him quickly, immediately regretting her words.

"What?" Scorpius asked, clearly thrown.

"Nevermind," Rose blushed as red as her hair, but Scorpius snaked his arms around her, pulling her close.

"No, that was a question," he teased, "What did you mean?"

"In Hogwarts," Rose clarified, "If we had just told each other that it meant something, would we have been together?"

Scorpius looked at Rose carefully, considering for a long time once again that night. Rose could have passed out if her breath was held that whole time.

"I'm not sure," he interrupted her internal moping, "We weren't really friends. NEWTs were coming up," he watched her reaction carefully, "I really don't know."

"Do you regret it?" she asked quietly.

"Is that another question?" was his response. Rose smiled, reaching down to pull Scorpius's tee off. Boy, did she appreciate his figure. Scorpius certainly did not look like an office man. Once it was discarded, Rose hooked her thumbs in his boxers, sliding them down quickly. His large dick was hard and ready, and Rose couldn't help but be proud of herself. She had barely touched him. Just being naked with him made him like that.

"I don't regret it at all," he slid his fingers through her hair, pulling her close to him. She was hyper aware of his hardness pressed against her thigh. She moved against him, and he moved back, closing his eyes against the feeling.

"Your turn," Rose breathed, running her hands down his arms. Scorpius moved his hands down, pulling her panties off roughly. She kicked them off, and he slipped his hand between her thighs, seperating her legs. He cupped her, slipping two fingers in her wetness and spreading it over her clit.

"You'll have to think about this one carefully," Scorpius told Rose, completely distracting her with his fingers slipping inside of her, "Have you thought about me since that night?" her clenching around him was answer enough, but he pushed on, "Rose, I've thought about having you again so often since the first time. Did you ever think about me?"

"Yes," she responded immediately, "Yes I did, I would touch myself and imagine your hands on me," he kissed her fiercely, leading her down to his couch. He was on top of her quickly, repositioning her and leaning forward to suck on one of her nipples, "Scorpius, I would cum imagining you pushing your huge cock into me," she said, full of courage now. Scorpius moaned against her breasts, pulling himself to her face and trapping her lips with his.

"I need it," she gasped into his mouth, "I need you inside of me right now," and without any delay, he lined himself up and pushed into Rose. She cried out with pleasure, kissing him once again. She was so turned on that she felt the build quickly from Scorpius's punishing pace. She came with short moans of relief, feeling her body at home again.

* * *

 _Author's note : Howdy y'all! To thank you for your wait, this was a double chapter, though I'm sure you noticed. I had a few things that I wanted to get into this one, especially with all the requests for more dynamics between characters! I hope that you are discovering a little more about the characters, and that you like where this is headed! As always, let me know what you think, I can't wait to read your reviews!_


	9. The Potters

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 9**

 **The Potters**

Rose had to pry herself reluctantly out of Scorpius's arms on the couch.

"I'm not kicking you out," Scorpius murmured against her skin, "You're more than welcome to stay the night." Rose's body was betraying her, raising goosebumps where his breath touched. But she didn't want to stay the night. It came with unfamiliar territory, and a level of closeness that didn't sit right with her.

"I appreciate it, but I really like the idea of sleeping in my own bed," Rose responded, turning to kiss the side of his head. She recovered her discarded clothes, recalling how they ended up where they did.

 _Do you trust me?_

Rose shook the discomfort building in her spine and dressed quickly.

"I'll walk you out,"

"Don't you dare," she responded, "I need the air to clear my mind before bed." Rose grinned, picking up a shoe. Across the couch, Scorpius picked up a dark purple thong, holding it up to admire.

"I'm gonna need that," Rose told him, reaching a hand out.

Scorpius looked back to her, smirking, "What if I don't give it back?" he asked, voice gravelly with the implication.

Rose stood from the couch, scowling, "Then I'd be arse-naked in the hotel lobby."

"A good sight, I'm sure," he balled them up in his fist, and Rose felt like a drop of cold water was making its way down her back, "I think you should ask for these back on Monday."

Rose's mouth went dry, thinking of all the ways she could convince him to give them back. But she'd play his game.

"I suppose that means I shouldn't be wearing any when I see you next... so that I have a reason to ask for them," Rose grinned.

"You're dirty," Scorpius closed the space between them, slipping one hand into her hair and pulling her head back. He claimed her mouth roughly, and she melted against him. Just as soon as it had started however, he was pulling away. When their eyes met again, Rose felt a need stir in her gut once more, reflected in his eyes.

"Be safe," he grinned, releasing her.

"Okay," was her only response, as her mind had become terribly fuzzy. Rose stumbled a little as she approached the elevator, hyper aware of the feeling of her bare ass on the fabric of her dress. She turned back towards him, and as the elevators closed, Rose held Scorpius's gaze. And there was something there that she hadn't noticed before. The twitch of his jaw, or the crease in his forehead. While they watched the other leave, Rose couldn't help but feel like there was something she should be worried about.

After the doors closed, she shook her head, reassuring herself.

On the walk and floo to the apartment, she tried to distract herself from the odd feeling with the wetness between her thighs, but Rose didn't feel at ease until she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

...

Rose awoke to a heavy weight on her and a ringing in her ears.

The ringing formed into words, "GET UP!" Rose blinked the sleep out of her eyes to see a fully dressed Roxanne on top of her bed.

"What the hell?" Rose tried to pull the covers over her face, but Roxanne pulled them back down.

"It's burrow day! Gotta go see family for dinner, get dressed dummy!" Roxanne tapped both of Rose's cheeks. Rose flinched away, and Roxanne finally released her.

"Shit," Rose had forgotten that it was the last Sunday of the month. Like she had told Scorpius, growing up they had regular dinners at her grandmother's house with the whole family. It had been great to know her cousins so closely, but it was also a little competitive. Rose and Roxanne liked to go looking nice, and having things to brag about.

This day was unlike any of the past ones. She was up early showering, picking out a modest but flattering outfit and doing her face with the perfect light pinks that her mother always complimented.

The two arrived with the usual box of butterbeer, as nanna Molly never had alcohol in the house. The door flung open to reveal a house full of Weasleys and Potters.

"Rose!" Hermione appeared, flicking her wand and levitating Rose's crate out of her hands. She pulled Rose for a tight hug, "Great to see you as always. Oh no Molly, let me get that for you!" and her mum was off again, trying her best to prevent nanna from cooking everything herself.

"Oh, I've got it dear, really," Nanna Molly insisted, trying to pull a large turkey out of the oven. Hermione flicked her wand, levitating the tray anyways and rolling her eyes so Rose would see.

"Take this," Roxanne held a butterbeer out for Rose, and the two went further into the burrow.

They were greeted by the usual Sunday dinner sight, minus the Hogwarts kids, so everyone held a drink. Rose noticed her favourite aunt Ginny in the corner and went to chat, but was interrupted by her father.

"Rosie!" he loudly announced his presence, throwing an arm over her shoulder, "Is your fancy job too important to visit your old pops?" Rose rolled her eyes, the spitting image of her mother, half-hugging him back.

"Nice to see you too dad," she kissed him on the cheek, prickled by his light scruff.

"Have you seen your brother? He's been avoiding me just as much," Ron Weasley pouted.

"Yeah actually, ran into him at the pub last night. I hear he's joining the family business?" Rose raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her butterbeer.

"Oh, I'm actually very proud of that one," Ron beamed at her, "What else can I do with a young boy who has no idea what to do with his life?"

"Touche," Rose giggled.

"Plus I've gotta keep him in sight so he doesn't get into more trouble," Ron's face was suddenly more serious. Rose laughed again, and luckily they were interrupted by Fred.

"Little Fred! How is your apprenticeship going? Ollivander treating you well?" Ron slapped a hand on Fred's back, and Rose took the opportunity to escape.

She walked by Roxanne who was deep in conversation with her own mother and James.

"You need to look at other teams though, the pay on the Cannons is shit," Aunt Angelina told the kids.

"Loyalty!" James scoffed, "The Cannons took my arrogant, immature, inexperienced arse and turned it into an arrogant arse who can throw a damn quaffle!"

"Plus he's in line for captain, there's no way he should throw that away," Roxanne backed him up, crossing her arms. Her determined look matched her mother's.

Rose looked out over the room, hoping for an excuse to escape the quidditch talk: she got enough of it at home. Her uncle Harry passed her with a squeeze on the shoulder, and Rose followed him to greet her Aunt Ginny.

"Jesus Rose, are you still on your first butterbeer?" Her uncle Harry grinned at her.

"Come on, my liver isn't as strong as yours," Rose laughed, "Speaking of strong livers, where's my cousin? Are you keeping him hostage on rounds?"

Harry laughed, "He'll be here soon, his shift ended about an hour ago."

"Harry, did you hear Teddy finally set a date?" Ginny reached for Harry's hand, yanking him down on the couch with her.

"Yes, a fall wedding, right? We'd better give James some money for new dress robes. We can't let him go in whatever the hell he wore last time."

"Please. I'll rip his head off. Oh and did you hear about Molly's first few weeks out of the Healer program?" Ginny inquired, taking a deep sip of some purple bubbling liquid.

"Of course, did you hear Rose?" Harry turned to her with his lopsided grin, "She tried to diagnose some poor man with the black plague - the actual plague - but it was just one of your uncles puking pastilles," Harry grabbed his wife's arm, and the two giggled maniacally, holding each other for support.

Rose shook her head, a large grin spread over her face. She loved spending time with her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry more than anyone. They spent every family function giggling drunk in a corner, and she aspired to that niche at the family gatherings.

There was an unusual pause in conversation, and Rose heard the opening of a door. She was in the middle of a large sip of butterbeer as Harry looked to see who it was. A grin spread on his face, "Scorpius! It's been a while."

Rose turned to see that yes, Scorpius was walking into her family gathering with Albus, just like he had done so many times before. Except that since they graduated, he hadn't been back. So why the hell was he at their gathering now, three years later? Right when they started hooking up again? She spun back towards Ginny, who was now alone since Harry left them. Ginny raised an eyebrow as Rose downed the rest of her butterbeer quickly. This was gonna be a long day.

…

"It's going great," Albus responded to Molly's inquiries about the Auror program, reaching for more potatoes, "I'm just working on my final field work assignment, and then I'll finally be a full Auror!" Albus glanced at Harry, who shrugged knowingly.

"So will you graduate with your sister?" Molly kept on, trying to keep up with her plethora of grandchildren.

"Well, it doesn't quite work like that," Albus corrected, "I'll graduate when this assignment wraps up."

"And how about you Rosie? How's that potions job going?" Molly turned to Rose, who grimaced.

"It's been a little stressful. Our company has been bought out, and so I've been trying to prove how useful my lab is so that we can continue our research," Rose kept a and on her butterbeer, debating downing another one in front of her grandmother. It wasn't very becoming, and her face was already warm, but she could save good decisions for another day.

"Oh, I haven't heard an announcement or anything," Rose's mum perked up suddenly, "Did Neville say anything to you?" she turned to Uncle Harry who shook his head in response.

"Well, Rose won't have trouble keeping a job," Scorpius interrupted. Rose snapped to attention. _What the hell is he doing?_ She snapped, biting her lip to keep any retort to herself, "She was just nominated for a Slughorn Award!" He grinned at her. The table erupted in congratulations, clearly proud of her accomplishments. They always knew Rose would do great things, and now it seemed she was quickly accomplishing them.

Rose accepted the compliments with a plastered smile, and as soon as Molly moved on to the next grandchild's update, she sighed. Rose had planned on only telling her parents unntil after the awards ceremony. Of course her parents would be invited whether she went or not, hey had apparently known Slughorn very well and were guests of honor at this ceremony, but now Harry and Ginny would be going to and supporting her. She would never admit it, but for this, she didn't want to be a child of the Golden Trio. She wanted to be Rose, the incredible, intelligent young witch, helping people with her innovations. Not Hermione's bright daughter.

With a glance to Scorpius, she considered his motives. Why did he announce her accomplishment? It was strange.

Her brooding was interrupted by a flicker of white at the window. A ghostly figure was pushing its way through the kitchen and made its way to the table. Rose didn't recognize the four-pawed animal, but she could tell it was a patronus. It opened its muzzle to speak.

"Harry, Minister Weasley, there has been a break in at the ministry," it shouted and dissipated on the spot. The movement was immediate, almost everyone stood, moving to an open space to prevent splinching.

"Everyone stay here," Harry warned, "We don't know the damage, I'll send an owl when I know everything is safe," he nodded to Hermione. She latched onto his arm, and they apparated together with a loud pop.

It was soon after that a snowy white owl tapped on the window, bringing good news. It was a minor trespass, and all was well, but they would be staying late at the offices.

Rose helped to clean, knowing her mother would be helping if she could. She found herself in an assembly line: Ginny washed dishes, Rose dried and handed them to Albus to put away. Scorpius had tried to help, but Ginny insisted that he was a guest, and would do no such thing. So he sat at the table near them, and Rose felt his eyes burning into her.

"I have a silly request of you," Ginny handed Rose a plate, and Rose turned to her with wide eyes.

"I'm sure it's not silly at all!" Rose smiled.

Ginny smiled back, reaching into the dishwater and grabbing another plate, "Do the lot of you want to stay over at my house?" she requested, not meeting Rose's eyes, "I'm always a little nervous when Harry is out late, and it's lonely without the kids".

Rose considered for a moment. She would hate going into work the next day without sleeping in her own bed, but she understood Ginny's request. It was certainly tough being married to an Auror. Rose reluctantly agreed, handing off a plate to Albus. It was odd, but she swore she noticed Albus become visibly relieved as she agreed. Maybe he didn't want to stay by himself at home? Rose pondered this as they finished up the dishes.

When they arrived at the Potter Residence, Rose found herself making tea in the kitchen with Ginny as the boys sat in the parlor.

"Are you happy with your career?" Ginny asked suddenly, "Sorry if this is odd, but I know I changed around a bit before I settled into my career as a journalist. How did you find something you love so quickly?"

Rose considered her response for a moment, "I'm not sure. I went with my gut, pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I shadowed, got an entry level job, and fell in love with the work. You either know in your gut or you don't." Rose shrugged.

It was a long moment before Ginny responded, "I'm worried about Lily," she sighed, taking the whistling kettle off the stove, "Everyone seems to know where they're going but her. She's bright, and committed to everything she does, but her interests are so varied she can't choose."

Rose nodded, "That was my problem as well. How could I chose one thing for the rest of my life when I wanted to do everything?" she smiled, reliving that last month of Hogwarts where she immersed herself in studies.

"I don't mean to intrude," Ginny smiled, knowing that her request was ironic, "but maybe you could find a space for her at Longbottom Labs? I think working with you would be good for her."

Rose smiled, a little thankful that Ginny saw her as someone that could help Lily, "I'll see what I can do."

The four sat up and chatted for a while, and it was nice. Ginny needed to catch up with Scorpius, and he was happy to tell her what he had been up to after Hogwarts. His stories of travel were incredible, but as the night went on, they started to fade out with her eyes.

"I think it's time you went to bed, Rose," Albus had told her, and Ros agreed, heading up and leaving the three chatting. She tried hard to sleep in Lily's bed, feeling comfortable in her Aunt's home, but her sleep was restless. It was as if something were nagging at her, like the night before big test. Get up, study more or you'll fail. After an hour of tossing and turning, Rose decided to get up for a glass of water. Walking down the hall, she noticed the light still on downstairs. Rose stood at the top of the stairs, considering descending, but the hushed voices traveled clearly to her.

"That was the only thing taken, and we're still not sure why," Rose recognized the voice as Harry's. Who was he talking to about Auror business? "Do either of you know any information?"

"No, I don't know why the Death Keepers would need a time turner," was the response. Scorpius? Why was Harry asking Scorpius for information?

"I'll keep a closer eye on the lead," Albus's voice carried.

"I suppose that's the best we can do for now," Harry sighed, clearly worn out, "I have to catch some sleep before I head back in," she heard the creak of someone walking towards her. Rose startled, moving quickly and silently back to Lily's empty room.

 _What the hell is going on?_

* * *

 _Author's Note : Hello again! Sorry for disappearing without notice, life happens blahblahblah. Clearly there will no longer be daily updates, as my classes have started again with a vengeance. I have had some time to revamp the story, and was re-inspired by a visit with my old friend who got me into writing in the first place! This story will start progressing to lots of plot, and will continue to have sexual elements. Please let me know what you think as always, but please keep the bitching about updates out of my comments. Nice nudges are great, but don't be a dick about it. Reminder that I don't get paid for this, nor am I in school for writing. Calm your tits. Please please let me know what you like or hate though! Those are my favourite to read. _


	10. Falling

Push & Pull

Chapter 10

Falling

 _Author's note_ _: before I continue, I wanted to address an awesome comment! A reader was worried about this turning into a Cursed Child-esque story. My strategic answer to that concern, is that Rose will be doing NO time traveling, and this story will continue to be mainly my sex musings. Any plot added is meant to add or change the relationship between Scorpius/Rose, or make Rose's life a tiny bit realistic. Hope that relieves some concern!_

Rose snuck out of the Potter's house before the sun came up, stopping by her house to shower and change before work. Entering the apartment, she noticed Roxanne sleeping, tangled up naked and snoring with a thin blonde on the couch. Rose paused for a moment with a raised eyebrow, but shook it off, proceeding to her shower. The hot water on her skin felt heavenly, and Rose couldn't help the moan that she released, scrubbing her lack of sleep away.

 _What the hell happened last night?_ Rose tried to straighten her thoughts. Harry had been discussing the break in with Albus and Scorpius. They had taken a time turner? Possibly? Rose thought those had all been destroyed after what happened with her cousin Albus back in Hogwarts. And Albus was an Auror, but what did Scorpius have to do with anything?

Just as she had the night before, Rose was thinking herself in circles with no direction towards the truth. She exited the shower and dried herself, considering what to wear for the day.

The one thing she did remember, was that even though she wasn't sure whether to trust Scorpius right now, she wasn't supposed to wear underwear. Just the thought sent a warmth to her gut, and she frowned.

Rose ended up in a pencil skirt again, showing up early as always and heading straight to her office for some paper work. The door to the lab opened, and Rose looked up to see if her office door would reveal Scorpius, but she was let down as the footsteps faded the other direction. The next few entrances went the same way, letting down Rose's hopes. She finally resigned to actually get immersed in her work, putting her hair up in a ponytail and scattering her notes. She worked straight through lunch, and didn't notice until her door opened how late it was.

"Have you been working in here all day?" Scorpius's honey voice melted over her skin. Rose looked up and forgot why she was unsure about him. He was wearing a black button-up with the sleeves rolled up, tie and dress robes discarded.

"I have a lot to get done," Rose responded, looking back to her notes. But she wasn't really reading them, she was tracking Scorpius's movement in the back of her mind. He approached her desk, walking behind it and ending up standing over her back. He placed both hands on either side of her desk.

"I shouldn't distract you then," he murmured, pressing himself close to her shoulders. Despite her words, she leaned back into him, his warmth radiating over her skin.

One of his hands trailed up her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It made its way to her neck, "No, you shouldn't," she tried to say, but his hand gripped her neck roughly, tilting her face backwards to him. He lowered his face to hers, kissing her so gently in contrast to his rough grip. Rose panicked for a moment, feeling her airway constrict, but when his lips touched hers and she relaxed, she realized she was okay. He wasn't touching her airway, he wa pinching the arteries on each side of her neck, choking her lightly. She tried to gasp against his lips, and he let go. She was surprised as she felt a gush of wetness between her legs. Her face was red from the sensation, and from her embarrassment.

"Was that okay?" he looked at her, concerned now.

"Yes," she responded quickly, head still tilted, "I'm not sure why, but I liked that a lot."

Scorpius grinned at her, but looked away, reaching in his pocket.

Rose's confusion on his movement melted away as he produced a pair of purple lace panties. "I think I need to return these," he grinned, and she smiled back.

"I thought I was supposed to _beg_ for them," Rose pulled away from her desk, spinning her chair towards him.

"You seem rather busy," he responded, letting them hang off his finger. He pushed her chair further away from the desk, spinning her to face it and kneeling before her, "I think I'll return them myself so you can get some work done," he placed the panties on his knee and pulled her roughly forward, hiking her skirt up. Rose gasped at the movement, feeling her body tingling with the surprise. Scorpius licked from her knee up her inner thigh, nibbling his way to her core. Rose let out a small sigh as his nails dug into the skin on her other thigh.

He was just getting to the good part when there was a knock at her door. Rose made to pull away, but Scorpius shuffled backwards, pulling her far under the desk instead.

"Have them come in," he murmured against her outer labia, and Rose blushed.

"There is no way I'm letting my workers come in when you're down there," Rose whispered furiously.

"Trust me," Scorpius laughed, and the sound sent ripples through her body, "Just stay quiet," he kissed her lightly, rubbing his lips along her outer labia.

"Yes?" Rose asked, and the door swung open.

"Hi Rose, sorry to interrupt," Sam walked in quickly, coming close to her desk. What was he interrupting? Oh yes, she had been working all day. Rose's lips parted as if to speak, but it was really because Scorpius had slipped his tongue into her and was so very lightly licking her clit.

"That's okay Sam, I'm just a little busy," Rose clenched her jaw, appearing frustrated. Unbeknownst to Sam, it was because Scorpius had sped his movements, but kept them light. It was awfully torturous to Rose, who was maintaining her composure incredibly.

"Sorry again," he truly looked apologetic, "but you wanted that order placed on Friday, and we weren't able to find one of your ingredients. The Hieracium snowdoniense is said to be extinct, but there may be a patch among the grazing hills of Southern Wales if you'd like to make the trek tomo-."

"YES!" Rose blurted, biting her lip quickly as she began to peak, Scorpius was unrelenting despite her outburst, and it was entirely unhelpful, "Yes Sam, the herb is extremely important for Millie's research, and we need it as soon as possible. Make the arrangements and notify the staff," she said quickly, looking back to her notes, "If you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do."

"Of course Miss Weasley, good luck," he turned, and Rose closed her eyes, shifting her hips slightly and silently riding out the orgasm Scorpius had so quickly brought her to. The door to the office closed behind Sam, and Rose pulled away from her desk, glaring at Scorpius. She waved her wand, locking her door and casting a silencing charm.

"YOU'RE SUCH A DICK!" She exploded, standing on wobbly legs and letting him out, "YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT!"

"I didn't hear you complaining," he stood, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, "In fact," he walked closer, backing her into a wall, "I don't think you should be complaining at all."

Rose gulped loudly. She had to admit in that moment, that she liked the switch of Scorpius being completely dominant when it came to sex.

"Are you actually mad?" Scorpius looked at her seriously for a moment. Rose shook her head, and Scorpius's shoulders dropped with his relief.

"No, I guess I'm not," Rose shrugged, moving closer and grabbing his tie, " Sir ." she tested the word on her lips, more of a sarcastic retort than anything. But Scorpius reacted immediately.

His fingers dug into the back of her thighs, hiking her up onto the wall and forcing her to wrap her legs around him. Her wetness was forced into the front of his pants, and she felt her juices soaking the material. He kissed her roughly, shoving his tongue into her mouth. Secure against the wall, Scorpius moved a hand to her throat, and Rose felt herself clench and gasp with anticipation. He gripped her roughly, and Rose felt the same panic as before, followed by a rush. It felt so wrong to enjoy this, but it felt as if her whole world was focused on this one moment, on the feelings in her body. On the hardness of him rubbing against her, prolonging the feeling. Just when she moved a hand to grip his, he released her, and she shuddered with pleasure as the oxygen rushed quickly into her lungs. She gasped with relief and dug her nails into his back, trying to pull him even closer.

"Please!" She begged shamelessly, grinding into him.

"What do you want Rose," Scorpius muttered against her forehead, moving his hips against hers torturously.

"I need you to fuck me," Rose responded, trying to open her eyes.

"Fuck me, _what_?" he growled, stopping his movements suddenly. Rose sobbed at the lack of friction, trying to grind herself into him.

"Fuck me, Sir!" She told him, feeling her world slip away as he wasted precious seconds removing his belt, "Please Sir, I need you to fuck me _hard_!"

He was at her entrance in a moment, halting and glaring at her to get her attention.

"Don't tell me how to fuck you," he spat before slamming into her hard and fast. Rose shuddered at the impact, feeling him slide deep within her. Forced against the wall, she had nowhere to back away, and his thickness was so deep inside of her. Each time he pushed into her, it felt as if he were going deeper, slamming against her cervix. Rose considered calling yellow, because his length was painful, but after a moment, the pain mixed with pleasure, and Rose was being fucked as hard as she had hoped. The gasps in her mouth turned to drawn out moans, and Scorpius swallowed them with his lips, biting down on her bottom lip roughly. Rose could feel her clit being squished roughly by his skin with the deep movements, and it pushed her towards an orgasm. With each thrust, Rose felt her stomach clench, and she gasped louder, calling out his name.

"Oh Scorpius, don't fucking stop," she yelled, "It feels so good when you fuck me hard, don't stop!" Rose didn't recognize the sounds coming out of her. It was brought to a peak with her orgasm, and Rose felt her world freeze as she broke into one of the most intense orgasms she had ever had. The waves of pleasure coursed through her, and she rode them out as long as she could, barely able to shift her hips anymore. Scorpius didn't relent as she finished.

"You wanted to be fucked hard, you'll be fucked hard," he put a hand to her neck, but didn't squeeze. Rose gasped in surprise. He hadn't let up, and she felt herself building to a quick second orgasm. _What?!_ She felt her muscles tighten around Scorpius, and screamed and gasped against him as she came a second time, her pussy burning and clenching around him. With this orgasm, Scorpius held her tightly as he slammed into her roughly, thick jets of cum shooting out of him deep inside of her against her cervix. She felt herself filled by him, the sensation odd.

 _Thank god I'm on birth control_ , she thought briefly as she imagined herself fucked and filled with his cum. She clenched around him at the idea and visual, but the aftermath was not something she wanted.

He leaned his face into her neck, and she considered what had just happened as she released her legs and shifted to the ground.

"I just came twice," Rose said in amazement, conjuring a cloth and wiping herself up.

"Yeah you fucking did," Scorpius sighed, kissing Rose. It was a deep kiss, and she felt her heart soar, but quickly stomped it out. _Calm down there, girl._

"I've never had that happen during sex," she raised her eyebrows at him, a grin plastered on her face, "It surprised me."

Scorpius grinned triumphantly, "You could have had me fooled, you can finish at the drop of a dime," he rolled his eyes.

"Only with you," Rose responded quickly, and they locked eyes for a moment. Why was he the one that could make her feel that way? She was so incredibly attracted to him. Rose realized she was staring, and looked down, noticing her panties on the ground.

"Thanks for returning these," she giggled.

…

Rose kept thinking of being lost in Scorpius's eyes. She hated it. And her staff could tell she was in a mood.

The team had traveled together to southern Wales to try and acquire Rose's ingredient. They had already checked three grazing pastures and were now hiking up a hill to reach a fourth that held some promise. Auggie was entertaining the team by giving them life advice. Rose had sighed loudly, trekking far ahead of the group.

"I wonder what's up her ass today," Alice scoffed at Scorpius, who shrugged in response.

Scorpius was up her ass. Well, not literally. _Although I have to admit, that isn't an adverse thought…_ She shook her head, focusing on her footsteps. She admitted to herself this was typical Rose behavior. It was usually a few dates, a shag or two, then the boy was kicked to the curb. She may have skipped the dates, but it was about time to kick the boy to the curb.

And she didn't want to.

So she was mad.

At who, Rose had no idea. Herself? She didn't have feelings for him or anything, but she let herself enjoy him too much. Was she mad at him? For being so fucking charming? And hot? And ugh. Rose kicked a rock out of her path, feeling a tiny bit of relief as it hit a fallen tree and splintered the bark.

"What did the poor rock ever do to you?" she heard Scorpius's voice nearing her and ignored it, kicking another rock. This one didn't do any damage, and her annoyance rose.

"You know, some people like to talk about a problem when they're angry," Scorpius continued, falling into step with her. Rose fought the urge to hex him.

"I think we talk plenty, thank you," Rose snapped. He was unfazed by her venom. She briefly registered him taking his wand out and muttering to himself with a swish, but tried very hard to continue to ignore him. They neared a split in the path. Rose made to go right, where she could see the vague outline of a fence.

"I see something!" Scorpius yelled suddenly, bounding up the left path. With a reluctant glance to the right, she changed her path and followed him.

Scorpius was bounding up the hill with great leaps, and Rose couldn't keep up.

"There's no way you saw something this far up!" she yelled after him, but continued to follow more quickly. The hill was becoming very steep at this point. She had to use her hands to steady herself on the cliff face.

"Where the hell are you?" Rose sped up, throwing a hand forward and letting her feet follow. She got into a great rhythm, even leaping before she was steady, and soon regretted her confidence.

One of Rose's hands slipped, losing some rubble and causing her foot to fall. With a yelp, Rose felt herself tumble backwards. She reached forward, trying to grab any purchase she could, but it was useless. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her neck to brace for impact, but she found herself slamming into a warm body instead.

Strong arms wrapped around her, barely phased by the impact, "I've got you Rosie," Scorpius's voice came from the body, and Rose gasped deeply, trying to catch her breath from the scare. She held onto him tightly, reassured in his embrace. Rose stayed in his arms much longer than she needed to urging her pulse to slow down. It was then that she realized it wasn't the fall that was making her heart work double, it was him.

She peeled herself from his arms awkwardly, muttering, "Thank you".

Scorpius handed her a small bundle of the yellow herbs they had been searching for.

"You're welcome."


	11. The Awards

.

Push & Pull

Chapter 11

The Awards

Over the next few days, Rose immersed herself in her work. She came in early, spreading her notes over her lab bench and starting a brew before the sun rose. Her staff came in gradually, and knew from experience that when she got on a roll like that with a project not to bother her. But Scorpius was new, and had to face her wrath the hard way.

Slaving over a filled cauldron, Rose grinded pre-treated sticks of cinnamon into dust, ensuring the particles were fine enough to dissolve in her mixture. Upturning the mortar into the cauldron, she stirred twice to the right, and once to the left; a classic technique to ensure proper dispersal of the particles. She tried to hold back a sneeze, cinnamon billowing in the steam out of the pot.

It gave her a small headache, so she sat back, running her hands over her head. Her hair had started to curl, something that only happened when she was stressed and brewing.

"Good look," Scorpius came by with a take-out container.

"Lick my arse Malfoy," Rose spat, not even looking at him.

"Gladly," he responded, and Rose froze. It was then that she noticed the lab was empty. She forced herself to relax.

"Where is everyone?" she took the container from him, shifting over to a clean lab bench. Opening it, she was excited to see a lasagna with plenty of cheese: just the comfort food she needed.

"Well, it's the end of the day Rosie, most people like to go home when their work shift ends," Scorpius chided with a smirk. She didn't know whether she wanted to kiss or slap it off of him. Rose responded with a grunt, shoveling more food into her face.

"Jesus Rose, did you eat at all since Sunday?" He laughed, and she shrugged, returning to her potion.

"I need to finish this," she sighed, "it needs to brew overnight."

"Then let me help," he scooched closer to her.

Rose laughed, "No way, you were stuck with me in NEWT potions. You know how picky I am."

"And I survived, didn't I? We do have a date tonight that I'd really like to get to…"

"Shut up and slice those moth wings as thin as you can," Rose rolled her eyes. Scorpius shook his head, grabbing a small knife and getting to work.

Rose had to admit to herself, it felt nice to work next to Scorpius. There was something bubbling in her gut, and with the comfortable silence in the room to protect her from doing anything stupid, she let the feeling fester. Scorpius didn't steal glances at her the way he had the week before. He finished his task as she asked of him, sliding the cutting board to her and watching her add the wings to the brew. He did not comment as she stirred, and she felt her stress ebb away.

"Anything else?" Scorpius asked her. Rose wiped her hands, glancing around the room.

"I guess not…" her eyes locked on her cauldron, brewing lightly in the silent room. The steam changed from green to a pale blue, and she sighed with relief.

"You're a great brewer," Scorpius placed a hand on her shoulder, "It will be just fine." Rose felt that familiar warmth in her stomach at his comfort. She nodded, flipping off the lights and following him out.

…

"Stop touching it," Roxanne pulled Rose's arm down from her hair and she frowned. Her palms itched for something to do.

The three girls stood by the fireplace, waiting for the rest of Rose's team to arrive. They weren't late by any means, but Rose had returned home and gotten ready right away, brewing tea and even putting together a lunch for work the next day. She wasn't quite sure why, but she was more on edge than she expected.

"Stop worrying," Roxane scolded, putting her heeled toe on top of Rose's. Her foot had been tapping, "Everything will go great tonight. Worst case scenario you don't win anything, right?" Roxanne raised a lined eyebrow at Rose.

"Right," she replied, taking in her friends once more. Alice kept a classic look, red lips and rosy cheeks matching so well with her dark hair and angled face. Roxanne glowed, sure to steal the spotlight with her powerful gaze and strong body. Rose suddenly felt frumpy standing next to them, though Roxanne had charmed her curls and Rose had spent extra time contouring her face.

"I'm gonna check on my potion," Rose mumbled and took the elevator to her lab. Everything was as it should be, the potion brewing exactly as she left it. Even the half-eaten lasagna sat on the once clean lab bench. Rose's heels clicked on the floor as she made her way over, grabbing the container and taking it to the trash. Spinning quickly, she accidentally knocked some papers off of Alice's lab bench.

"Shit," Rose muttered, leaning over and collecting the stack in her hands. An unmarked file had toppled, and while she was typically very respectful of her workers' privacy, her curiosity got the better of her when she noticed her uncle's name. Rose froze, listening for any sign that someone was outside of the lab. Glancing around as a last check, she read the open page.

 _Prophecy retrieved by Senior Auror Potter 21 May 2025. Prophet: Inigo Imago._

" _From the wreckage of war at the Solstice will come the Augurey, powerful beyond measure. The keeper will raise her from despair and illuminate her abilities. She shall burn through the veil and reveal the ultimate truth."_

 _Notes: Imago's last prophecy before his death. Due to the overwhelming surge in prophecies surrounding Delphini Lestrange's imprisonment, this has been categorized in Vault 394 as Prophecy 109 on Delphini Lestrange. Connection due to Scorpius Malfoy's account of the Augurey in an alternate timeline, and Lestrange's tattoo._

 _Classification:_ _Null_ Reopened

Rose found herself reading and rereading the file. It was strange for Alice to have, she had no connection with the Department of Mysteries. Rose heard a noise in the hallway and rushed to shove the papers back in the folder, slipping it under some loose ingredient sheets.

She turned around, flustered, just in time for the door to open. In walked Scorpius, as put together as ever. Rose wasn't sure what she expected of him, but his deep emerald robes and silver tie were elegant, tailored tight to his body as usual. Rose let her gaze trail over him, appreciating his trimmed scruff. She had expected him to gel his hair like his father for some reason. Hoped he would so that he would look less attractive, but it was no use. His clean mop of hair was perfectly ruffled, and she longed to slip her fingers through it. Instead, she was frozen to the spot, held hostage under Scorpius's clear eyes as he closed the distance between them.

Rose wasn't taken in a dramatic kiss as she had hoped. Scorpius dragged his fingers along her collarbone, tracing her curve to the cut out of cleavage that was exposed to him. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her now sensitive skin, and rose shuddered, her skin puckering with goose bumps.

"You are the most stunning woman," he murmured against her, kissing his way up her neck, "I wish I could show you off tonight," and Rose pulled away. Scorpius didn't bother to disguise the hurt in his eyes, and Rose felt her stomach drop at the sudden hard set of his jaw.

"I'm sorry," she avoided his eyes, "I didn't mean…"

"It's okay," Scorpius stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants, "That was inappropriate."

"No, it wasn't," Rose sighed. Scorpius's brows furrowed curiously. "It's just…" She bit her lip, searching for the answer in his expression, "I can't…"

"I know," he responded softly, leaning forward and placing a small kiss on her cheek. He turned around and left the room, leaving her wanting. Rose wasn't sure what she wanted to say, and couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened. She slapped her cheeks twice, leaving the room and making her way slowly downstairs.

…

When Rose arrived at the large mansion, her breath was taken away. The large garden in the front lead the way to beautiful ornate white pillars and flying buttresses. The cameras flashed away, turning on Rose as soon as she lead her team to the front door. She was flanked by Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy. Rose hadn't felt so safe from the press since her father hid her in a porta-potty when she was twelve.

"Roxanne Weasley, any comment about being scouted for the Harpies?"

"Neville Longbottom, how does it feel to be here since the loss of your wife?"

"Scorpius, a word for Witch Weekly?"

"Draco Malfoy, tell us about the merger!"

"Rose Weasley, over here please!"

Rose left the safety of her group, taking a deep breath, and pulling out her press smile. She was used to interviews, growing up with the family she did, but she was glad to finally have the questions be about her work.

"Rose, you have only been in the field for a few years, and you're making tidal waves," the young woman's quick quill was flying, camera man waving for Rose's attention, "How has it been trying to make a name for yourself in a field that doesn't have the Weasley name stamped all over it?"

Rose frowned, but quickly covered it, considering her answer.

"My family has never stood on its merits. We all choose to make a name for ourselves in one way or another, and my passion just happens to be in potioneering. I'm so honored to be present tonight, even just to witness the talent in the room."

"You got that big brain from your mother no doubt," the reporter continued, and Rose turned, pretending to hear someone else calling her.

"Thank you so much, enjoy the ceremony," Rose flashed a winning smile, slipping away and posing for another photographer. It went on like that for what felt like an eternity, when she found herself speaking with the Daily Prophet.

"Any news on if Harry Potter will be in attendance tonight?" The reporter asked, and she sighed, struggling to keep her smile up. A thin hand slid around her arm and tugged her away.

"Sorry man, I need a drink," Roxanne winked at him, pulling Rose from her doom.

"Thank god for you," Rose clung onto Roxanne for dear life, waving down a waiter for a martini. The two made their way to the ballroom and found their seats. Roxanne was towards the middle of the room with the family, and Rose was to sit further up front for the nominees. She was just taking her seat when she heard a commotion towards the entrance. She turned and her face sunk when in walked none other than Harry and her parents. Rose sipped on her drink quickly, trying to wave the waiter for another, but his attention was fixed on the entering stars. Rose groaned, leaning back in her seat.

"Nothing like a famous parent to humble you," Scorpius slid into the chair next to Rose, and she blushed.

"I hate to be jealous…" Rose started.

"Tonight's about you though," Scorpius leaned forward, taking her hand while nobody was watching, "It should be about your accomplishments, recognition for your hard work." and in his eyes Rose saw all the understanding in the world for a feeling she was so ashamed of. "Nobody gets to take that away from you."

The chair pulled out from next to Scorpius, and he pulled his hand from hers quickly, favoring his drink. Draco slipped in easily, turning a handsome smile to Rose and his son, "Ready to sweep the competition?" he asked confidently, and while Rose blushed a bright red and wondered if he had seen the interaction, she told herself that he hadn't, and responded with a dorky thumbs up.

The ceremony was long, offering awards for all manners of innovative magic. There were acknowledgements for inventions in muggle equipment, charms, transfiguration, education, healing, and so many others that Rose lost track. She lost the potioneering award to Seamus Finnigan, a friend of her parents who invented the disintegrating cleaning potion this past year.

"Damn Finnigan," Neville had whispered to his daughter Alice, "Always liked blowing things up."

And at the end of the night, when they announced the larger awards, Rose was well on her way to drunk. Alice kept ordering more drinks, and Rose had kept up, trying to keep her morale as strong as her liver.

"When is this damn thing going to end?" Rose said through gritted teeth to Scorpius, who flashed a smirk at her. Rose blushed, kicking him under the table.

"And the young innovator award, presented by none other than Horace Slughorn himself!" Rose sat straight and clapped along with the rest of the room. She decided she should pay more attention to the man who founded the whole awards than the last ten announcers she sipped her way through. As Slughorn made his way to the stage, Rose noticed how old he was. He had retired the year before she had entered Hogwarts, and her mother had mentioned him once or twice, but she had mentioned everyone in the wizarding world once or twice. The only reason Rose knew the name was because of the awards.

"Good evening all," The man spoke slowly, as if everyone hung on his words, "I am so grateful to have such beautiful minds present tonight," he looked around the room, eyes settling on tables one by one, "I have lived a long life in teaching, spending my spare time at Hogwarts recognizing greatness as it presented itself to me. I am honored to have shared the great halls with such grace, such talent."

"The award I present tonight is my personal favourite. As I recognized upcoming greatness in young students, I like to recognize the go-getters who have devoted themselves to magical discovery. These innovators have chosen a field with much ambition and little recognition. I have worked hard to allow for more recognition in these careers, and am happy to award labs the honor of public recognition, and of course, a little monetary substance," he wiggled an eyebrow, and the crowd laughed good-naturedly.

"Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to this year's Rookie innovator of the year," he opened a small envelope dramatically, pulling out a small card with wobbly hands.

"Rose Weasley!"

Rose was swept in thunderous applause, and whisked to the stage by two men in black dress robes. She glanced back to see the proud faces of her table, lingering on Scorpius. She took strength in his natural enthusiasm for her win, and took her place at the podium, holding the classic gold trophy in her hands. The room hushed quickly as she was supposed to say a few words.

Her mouth opened, and nothing came out. Rose glanced around the room, searching for her labmates, but couldn't find them.

"Where's my team?" she asked awkwardly. From the back of the room, she heard cheering from one table, then the rest of the room chimed in, helping her out.

"Stand up guys," Rose grinned broadly, "I'd like to thank my incredible team of workers for dealing with all of my crap," the room laughed, and she laughed with them, "Alice, Millie, Auggie, Sam, Arthur. Neville Longbottom for founding the amazing company that I have been able to do such great work for, my parents, for buying me my first brewing kit at age six," she giggled, and heard a cheer from the back of the room, "Roxanne for my morning tea, you all for inspiring me at such a young age," she heard the band start to play, and anxiety pulled at her, wishing her moment wasn't over so soon, "And at last thank you to Horace Slughorn, for allowing me this opportunity. Good luck this next year!" Rose finished, a smile plastered to her face. As she exited the stage, a woman spoke of her accomplishments over the last few years, and Rose was surprised at how much she had actually done.

After the lab award was given to the Finnigan lab, the awards shifted quickly to an after party, the winners lead to the stage for pictures. Rose quite literally ran into Seamus Finnigan, apologizing profusely.

"Congrats little Rosie," he grinned, slapping a hand on her shoulder. She smiled back, "I was so worried you would beat me out for this one," he raised his own golden award.

"No way," Rose scoffed, "I use your potion in my lab for cleanups all the time."

"My husband is just so proud I tried to clean up my fires this time," Seamus rolled his eyes, and Rose laughed along. They took their pictures, and Rose escaped as quickly as she could into the crowd. So many congratulations were thrown her way, she didn't know who she hugged or took pictures with. She briefly remembered hugging her parents, and something tugged at her mind when she thanked uncle Harry, but she was so swept up in her joy that she shoved the thought away.

Rose ran to the bar to grab another drink, as her tipsy was getting more sober by the moment, and a bright blonde head crossed her vision. Scorpius was standing very close with a pale beauty, all legs and silky black hair. The girl was clearly interested in him, placing a foot between his legs and leaning forward onto the bar, pushing her cleavage up perfectly. And he was not immune. Rose strategically came up behind the girl, ordering her drink and flipping her hair, giving Scorpius a full view of her freckled shoulders. She tilted her head sideways, rubbing the back of her neck and fluttering her eyes shut as if she were tired. Rose knew exactly what she was doing, putting herself on display like that. She only hoped it would be enough to distract him. She took her drink gratefully from the bartender, spinning quickly without a glance at him. She shook her arse a little more than she needed to when she walked away, and hoped that the burning of her ears was because of his eyes on her and not everyone else's.

It was well into the night when her friends decided they should stumble home.

Alice slipped into her flat safely, leaving Rose & Roxanne to take the long way around home. Rose found herself a street away from Scorpius's and paused, her fuzzy head puzzling out whether she should go or not.

"Go," Roxanne flipped her hand dramatically, " _someone's_ gotta get laid tonight," she giggled.

"Thanks," Rose breathed, half running down the street. It took all of her effort not to wobble in thin heels on the cobble of the street, which was a hard feat sober, and she was truly drunk by now.

She took the elevator up, shifting in her heels. Just knowing she would see him, and thinking of the way he looked at her that night, she was already wet. She slipped out of them, choosing to carry the shoes instead. When the elevator dinged, her heart leapt, and the doors opened to reveal her cousin.

"Albus!" Rose's voice raised an octave, "What are you doing here?" she noticed briefly he was in his dress robes.

"I was at the ceremony! I tried to track you down, but you couldn't stop moving," he hugged her briefly, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I have her purse," Scorpius turned around the corner, rolling his eyes, "she left it at the table. So forgetful."

"The worst," Albus agreed with a grin, "Which reminds me, I haven't been to see your lab yet."

"How about in the morning?" Scorpius patted Albus on the back, "We'll all go over together."

"Sounds lovely," Albus agreed, "I should really get going. I'll see you," he exited through the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Rose dropped her heels, throwing her arms around Scorpius and snogging him fiercely.

"Woah, slow down," he laughed, scooping Rose into his arms and carrying her to his bedroom. Rose realized she had never been in here before. It was a large bed with dark sheets, modern architecture like the rest of the flat. It was neat, the bed made nicely and all toiletries placed neatly on the backs of the furniture. She paid it no more attention as she was tossed onto the bed. Scorpius pinned her down, biting into the flesh of her breasts. Rose gasped and then sighed as he sucked at her soft skin, leaving small marks where he moved. Rose pulled her arms free, pushing him away from her.

"Take my damn dress off," she ordered, and he needed no other request. Scorpius spun her over, laying her belly-first onto his bed. He unlatched the top and undid the zipper. Rose shivered as the material slid over her skin. She shimmied out of the material, leaving herself fully naked underneath him.

"I'm a little overdressed," Scorpius muttered, and Rose wasted no time amending that issue. Knowing that she needed no preparation this time, Rose leaned backwards against his pillows, pulling him on top of her. She kissed him softly, and he lined himself to her, sliding in easily. They both sighed in relief, the sensation washing over them. Scorpius moved at a torturous pace, slipping his hands into her hair and holding her steady. Rose could only moan into his mouth, twisting her legs into his, and relishing in the friction.

"You're incredible," Scorpius said against her lips, tasting her moans as they slipped from her mouth, "So smart, so beautiful," he slid a hand from her hair down the side of her body and under her arse, lifting it and grinding her against him. Rose's orgasm surprised her, rippling through her body slowly at first, and lasting for so long. She felt Scorpius moving more quickly inside of her, and though she was already so far gone, her sensation was heightened, leaving her a sweaty, gasping mess. She felt him cumming inside of her as she rode the last waves of her orgasm, and they settled against each other, bathing in their clear heads.

 _That was…_ Rose thought with anxiety, _very romantic. And I liked it._ She tried to push the fear away as he pulled out and dragged her close to him. She settled into his embrace and fell asleep, his hands protectively around her.

* * *

 _Author's Note : Thanks for a wild ride guys, I so appreciate these reviews. If you haven't gotten it by now, this is my (third?) week of steady Sunday updates, so I think this is sticking well! Sorry this one is a day late, I'm on school time, and lucky for me there was a nice Monday holiday. I needed the extra time to set up some plot points. Next chapter is gonna get a little crazy, so bear with me. Let me know how you like/hate the plot, because we're gonna get a little more push than pull for a hot second. Thanks as always for the read! _


	12. Everything's Gone to Shit

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Everything's Gone to Shit**

"Morning," Rose awoke to Scorpius's lips on her neck, and she knew it would be a good day.

"Shit," Rose muttered to him, spinning around and kissing him quickly before sliding out of bed.

"Shit what? Don't ruin a beautiful morning for me Rose," Scorpius laughed, leaning back against his pillows. He looked so tempting, his muscles rippling across his chest as he placed his arms behind his head.

"I didn't want to sleep over!" she whined, stealing one of his button-ups and grabbing her dress, "I've never had a walk of shame before, and I was not planning on starting _ever_."

"I don't think there's anything shameful about a good shag," Scorpius eyed her, renewed lust written clearly across his features.

"You put that face away right now, Malfoy," she warned him with a pointed finger.

"Make me," he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

"I've really got to go. I think we promised Albus that we'd show him the lab, and I'm not doing it without trousers on."

...

When Rose saw Scorpius later, she was wearing her own trousers, but still had his button-up layered over a blouse.

"So this is your famous lab," Albus nodded his head, looking around the small space, "Much more sterile than I expected." He entered after Rose into the space, followed by Alice, who looked much more comfortable than he. Scorpius trailed behind them, hands in his pockets and peering around the place that he'd spent every day the last two weeks.

Rose donned her lab coat and led the way around the outside of the benches, flipping on lights as she went. "Yeah, I based my design off of muggle research labs, allowing for very little contamination, which is unsurprisingly a big problem in potion making." She rolled her eyes. Albus looked to Scorpius who shrugged in response.

"Tell him about what you're working on now," Alice encouraged, walking to Rose's bench. Rose grinned that proud smile of hers, coming up behind Alice and taking her rightful place among the piles of books.

"Mopsus potion blahblah history blah blah." Rose waved a hand, opening a book to retrieve her most recent scrap paper, "Long story short, it's a potion that supposedly gives the sight and possibly telekinesis." She raised her eyebrows at her cousin.

"That sounds bloody awesome Rosie," Albus nudged Scorpius, eliciting a reluctant nod of approval from the tall blonde.

"It really does," Scorpius agreed, looking back to Rose. She felt her face warm at his approval, and couldn't help but note a giggle from Alice.

"Anyways," Rose looked back to her work, "I'm missing something. My last few brews weren't quite the light blue from the texts I'm working off of. They're all a bit too greenish."

Albus walked forward, taking the spot at Rose's right shoulder, peering over her paper.

"Mandrake _root_?" Albus noted, and Rose looked up at him.

"Yes? To maintain sense of self in case of transformative sight," Rose said with a scoff.

"Why not Mandrake leaf?" Albus suggested.

 _Of course._

Scorpius's mouth was moving, but Rose couldn't hear anything over the ringing in her ears. She was too busy fetching the leaf, "Alice, set up the cauldron!" She called over her shoulder, going into full potioneering mode.

The root of the mandrake was for restorative potions. The leaf of the mandrake was for _transformative_ potions. It was certainly worth a shot to see if the leaf that incited the difficult animagi transformation could incite other powers. She thanked Sam in her head that he'd ordered fresh leaves and not dry ones. She ransacked the stock room, moving boxes to the door and looking in nooks and crannies, but to no avail.

"Alice!" Rose called, hoping her voice was loud enough. When she heard no response, she yelled once more, "Alice, get your skinny arse over here!"

Alice came bounding into the room, almost tripping over a box of empty vials.

"Mandrake? Where did we store the mandrake leaves?" Rose moved another box under a shelf.

"I don't remember storing any. Maybe we should call Sam?" Alice suggested, and Rose frowned, but nodded. She preferred not to disturb him out of hours: she really was a reasonable head researcher, but when her mind was whirling, she couldn't stop it.

Fifteen minutes later, and Sam, clad in sweatpants and a fitted tee, emerged from the storage room with a wooden box.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Rose cheered, snatching the box from him and running to her already brewing potion.

"You're welcome!" He called out after her, but Rose was too far gone to notice. Now relieved of his one duty, he fiddled with his hands awkwardly, glancing to Scorpius and the other companion.

"Ah, we haven't officially met," Albus grinned, reaching a hand out, "I'm Albus Potter, and you must be Sam, the incredible receptionist."

"The one and only," Sam shook Albus's hand, suddenly feeling rather clammy. It wasn't often that you got to meet a Potter in the flesh. And a very tall, muscular, attractive one. And here was Sam, in his sleepwear, "Uh, how's that potion coming Miss Weasley?"

"Give it like five minutes," Rose turned around, wiping her brow.

"Well, I'm gonna sneak off to the loo now so I don't miss the action," Alice left the excitement with very little notice.

Rose grinned at Scorpius, but the tall blonde hardly noticed. His jaw was set, and he was glaring at Albus, who was barely apologetic.

"Are you okay?" Rose reached out to touch Scorpius's arm, but he flinched away. She held her hand where he had been, shocked at his reaction.

"Yeah, sorry Rose, I just have a lot on my mind," he covered, moving back to push his arm against her waiting hand. She retracted it, crossing her arms and looking to Albus who simply shrugged in response.

The four stood in awkward silence until Alice returned, excitedly bounding into the room. Upon her appearance, Rose looked back to her cauldron.

"Yes!" Rose exploded in excitement, grabbing tight onto Scorpius's arm despite whatever mood he was in, "You're a bloody genius Al, grab me a vial!"

Albus hastily did as he was told, and Rose bottled a small portion of the pearlescent blue potion. Just as Rose walked to store it on her shelf, everything suddenly went to shit.

There was a large crash from outside of the lab, and she spun around, "Wha-"

"Damn it," Scorpius rushed to the door, pulling his wand out, "this is too soon!"

Albus spun Rose around so she was facing him, "Rose, there's no time to explain, you have to trust me," She was in shock, still looking past him to where Scorpius stood. Alice and Sam were huddled together in confusion, looking to the door.

"Pocket the vial, burn your work, and destroy the potion," Albus ordered, and Rose snapped back to attention.

"Albus Potter, there is no way I am burning _months_ worth of research-"

"Rose!" Albus shook her, and Rose was steaming, "There's no time to argue. You're brilliant, you can recreate it," Albus pleaded, "You need to believe me, whoever is on the other side of the door absolutely _cannot_ have your research."

After a moment, she finally nodded.

"Alice!" Rose ordered, and her assistant snapped to attention, "Store the books in Auggie's shelves, then grab me the rune stone from the top left shelf," Alice nodded, heading to Rose's bench. Rose scooped up her papers, piling them with the unused ingredients on the center of the lab bench. "Sam!" she yelled.

"Yes Miss Weasley," he was by her side in an instant, wand clenched and shaking in his hand. If Rose was in a right mind to notice, she would have made fun of him for his readiness to assist her in all situations, despite his obvious fear.

"I need you to set fire to these documents and not burn the whole lab down," Rose seemed emotionless as she ordered. She glanced to Albus, "Al, help him."

Rose slipped the little blue vial from her desk into her pocket, pulling the wand from her jacket and directing the cauldron to the sink. She felt sick with the thought that she was about to dump her newest discovery. It was like ripping a piece out of her flesh as she upturned the steaming cauldron into the sink, pouring some Destroying Draught after it. When Rose turned around, she was witnessingthe last year of her life being burned at her own bench. It was only when the heat of the flames warmed her that she felt the wetness on her face.

"Is everything clear?" Scorpius walked to the group, the fire reflected in his eyes. Rose turned away quickly, wiping her tears before anyone saw. "Right, well we need to go immediately. Can you all apparate to Rose's flat?" everyone nodded but Sam.

"It's okay, you can side-along with me," Rose grabbed onto Sam's arm, holding onto him much more tightly than she needed to.

Scorpius looked from Sam to Rose and nodded, "You go first, then immediately move so we don't-"

Rose apparated before the end of his sentence and keyed into her flat, pulling Sam along, although he didn't need much encouraging. He ran over to her kitchen and threw up in her sink. He wasn't even done before Albus and Alice walked in after Rose.

"Don't side-along very often?" Albus chuckled, walking to the kitchen. Rose stood frozen as Alice flicked on the living room light. One last _crack_ , and Scorpius was walking into Rose's apartment as if he'd done it a thousand times before. He stormed straight past Rose and down the hall to Roxanne's bedroom.

"Scorpius, what are you doing?" Rose questioned, forcing her legs to move forward.

"Rosie…" Albus peeked his head out of the kitchen as she walked by, and she spun towards him.

"Don't you _Rosie_ me!" She shoved his chest hard, though he barely moved under her strength, "You just made me destroy some of my best research, and now your friend is running around in Roxanne's room like he fucking owns the place. I need some bloody explanations, _now_."

"You'll get them in a few minutes, but we need to _move_ ," Scorpius pushed past Rose to her fireplace now wearing a large backpack. He motioned to the floo powder. Albus dragged Sam out of the kitchen.

"No way," Rose planted herself firmly, "I'm not moving until you tell me what the bloody hell is going on!" Rose shouted, but Scorpius was not listening.

"I don't remember this bloke being with us," Albus laughed, supporting a still nauseous boy.

"It doesn't matter," Scorpius checked his watch and swore, "Malfoy Manor, I have a touch-sensitive portkey there, _go_."

Alice went first, disappearing quickly. Then Sam, though Albus made him pronounce the address once before grabbing powder. On his departure, Rose heard a large bang from downstairs.

"Rose, hurry!" Albus pushed Rose into the fireplace. She grabbed the powder with a shaking hand, disappearing just as her door broke down and spells were thrown into her flat.

She tumbled forward into a dark room, landing on something hard.

"Oi, get off of me!" Sam shouted from under her, and Rose scrambled to her feet.

"What the hell is going on?" Alice wondered aloud, standing before them. She muttered a _lumos_ , and the room lit up dimly. Rose helped Sam to his feet, trying to ignore the gothic theme around her. It was certainly a much colder place than she had grown up. Rose didn't want to think about it too much. A light crack sounded from Rose's right, and she ran to a window, looking out into the night's darkness on the Malfoy lawn. Flashes of light flew by, and with a grunt, one figure fell. Two others bounded away from it, entering the door with no problem.

"Come on," Rose beckoned, leaving the sitting room they had fallen into and entering a large hallway. She turned to her right and proceeded slowly down the hallway, seemingly toward the direction the figures had entered into the house. Her wand was pulled, and a curse was ready on her lips.

"Rose, don't you dare hex me!" Albus called down the hall, though Rose didn't drop her guard, "It's just me and Scorpius, bring the others this way."

Albus stuck his head around a corner, and Rose finally allowed herself to relax.

"How did you know it was me?" she threw at him accusingly, walking down the hall. It opened up into a not-so-cozy livingroom with a single rusty spoon sitting on the table in the center where tea should have gone.

"In good time, grasshopper," Albus bowed to her, and Rose rolled her eyes.

"Come on guys, portkey," Scorpius motioned towards the spoon. Rose nodded. Of course that was what it was. The dirty old spoon didn't fit what little beautiful decor she could see. The group squeezed together around the table, and Rose looked around. Scorpius was decidedly avoiding her gaze. Albus supported the clearly shaken Sam. Rose felt a pang of pride for her cousin, helping a stranger. Rose caught Alice's attention as she looked to her friend. Alice looked the most afraid, and with a start, Rose realized how serious the situation was. What had been chasing them? What waited at the other end of the portkey? She didn't have any more time to consider.

"Hold hands tightly, and don't let go," Scorpius instructed as if Rose had never used a stupid portkey before. She grabbed onto Alice's hand and Albus's, nodding to Scorpius. Albus grabbed onto his arm, and Scorpius reached forward, activating the high-tech portkey with his touch.

* * *

Author's Note - Howdy y'all! I hope this mayhem was unexpected. More importantly, I hope that it's received well! Let me know what you think. Despite my lack of replies, I read every single comment and take your thoughts into consideration (I might not make changes based on every single one of them, but let me know)! I'm also rewriting the story as a clean version in an attempt to reach a wider audience, but it won't affect my regular Sunday posting of the main story. I do want to take a moment to recommend my two inspirational stories, the best Rose/Scorp fanfiction EVER by Slide(JustSlide), _The Stygian Trilogy_ /series/438892, and the romance novel that inspires the dynamic, _The Boss_ by Abigail Barnette. Both INCREDIBLE series that I couldn't put down. Have a lovely week, and I'll see you next Sunday!


	13. Trust

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 13**

 **Trust**

Rose felt her body contract and contort, squeezing her very molecules together for faster, more efficient travel. When she came out the other side, it was still in darkness, though she could smell the familiar scent of the forest around her. She immediately crossed her arms, preventing the cold from entering her lab coat.

"Lumos," Scorpius cast, and the forest around them lit up eerily. The trees were dense, and there was thick undergrowth. Scorpius walked quickly forward, "We need a flat surface. Al, help me out."

It was a few minutes of standing in the cold before Rose saw the fruits of their efforts. Scorpius had somehow gotten a magically expanded napsack from Roxanne's room which held a tent. Al lifted his wand and worked silently, clearing a bit of undergrowth while Scorpius levitated the tent into place. The group was silent as they worked, and Rose stared at the ground. She felt eyes on her, checking in, trying to make some sense of what was happening, but Rose wasn't there. Finally, Albus and Scorpius lowered their wands. Rose entered with Alice and Sam to see that the tent had a large living area, a kitchenette, and several door flaps which seemed to lead to rooms. Rose had camped in a similar tent plenty of times. She went to the center, starting up the heater now that she saw a way to be useful. Alice sat next to her, wrapping herself in a blanket with Sam.

"You guys have no idea what's happening?" Sam asked, and the two girls shook their heads. Rose stared at the heater, waiting for something to happen.

Scorpius finally entered the tent and Rose stood immediately. He walked past her to one of the rooms in the back, and Rose followed closely behind. She turned on him before the flaps of the door even closed.

"What the hell is this?!" She shouted, pacing in the small room. The room held the appearance of a tent with the feeling that it had been put up in her livingroom. It held two cots and a small end table with a lamp. The coziness didn't ease her anger at all.

His silence and blank expression was enough of an answer for her.

"Scorpius, one minute we were in my lab talking about my project, and the next I was _burning_ it." Rose's voice cracked. Her hair was in great disarray at this point. She pulled the tie out and ran a hand through her mane, catching her fingers in it and grasping her scalp, "And we were being chased? I think? By someone influential enough to want to steal my research and not just kill some Weasley-Potters," she scoffed, pausing in her pacing.

Scorpius took that opportunity to grab her arms, "Please stop moving, you're making me dizzy," he said softly. Rose finally looked at him and his hard face was cracked, revealing a fear that she hadn't noticed before, "Rose I'll tell you what I can and no more, you have to trust me,"

"I've given a lot of blind trust today," she spat, pulling away from him. Scorpius's face hardened again, and something inside of her pulled back together at the old appearance. She sat herself on one of the cots and stared at him where he stood, expectant. His arms were crossed and his eyes were fixed on the lamp. He seemed miles away. Was it really that morning that she was picking her dress up off his floor?

"I'm not a businessman," he said at last, tilting his head to her attention but still avoiding her accusing gaze, "I was assigned by Harry Potter to protect you under the pretense of my father's work."

The room was silent as Rose considered the information. A humorless laugh escaped her lips at the absurdity of the statement.

"So you're what, my secret bodyguard?" she reasoned, eyes boring into him, demanding his attention. He seemed unfazed.

"Trained with Al as an Auror right after graduation," he admitted, a small smile creeping onto his face, "Originally it was _me_ that wanted to keep my career a secret from the public, but then..." the smile fell abruptly.

"It turned into an advantage. There are a few missions where Harry needs publically unknown aurors to investigate matters. I did small jobs at first, then he chose me for this," the haunted look started to cross Scorpius's face again, but he finally looked at Rose and it melted away.

"I don't…" Rose tripped over her tongue, refusing to piece everything together, "I can't do this right now," Rose muttered, standing up and making towards the door.

"Rose, I need you to understand-" Scorpius reached for her. Rose pulled away from him, the burning of his touch scalding her where so many times it had been welcoming.

"How can I possibly understand?!" she laughed, all humor void of the reaction, "You've been lying to me. You and Albus," Rose paused with a start, "My family? And what the hell do I even need protection from?"

Fear suddenly gripped Rose like a cold blanket wrapped around her shoulders. She took small steps backwards until she could sink onto the cot, not trusting herself to stand. What are we running from? _How unsafe am I that I need a bodyguard?_ The thought intruded on Rose. She pushed it away quickly, another unsettling feeling bubbling up. Rose looked up at Scorpius, hurt finally grasping at her features.

He walked to her suddenly, kneeling on the ground in front of her.

"Scorpius," Rose started, but was stunned silent when he took her hands in his. He grasped them too tightly, but she held onto him, feeling as if the world would fall out from under her if she let go. "Scorpius, you lied to me."

"I know," he said fiercely, leaning his head down to rest it on their grasped hands.

"Please tell me this was real," she begged, tears filling her eyes. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but it was no use, she was already falling apart, "Scorpius, you didn't just have a _shag_ with me to gain my trust."

" _No_ ," Scorpius's voice was rough as he raised his head, ripping his hands from hers and placing them on either side of her face, "Rose, there is one very important reason that I took on this mission," he told her. She placed her hands over his, tears running freely down her face.

"Shit," Scorpius looked up, blinking away tears, "I've been selfish this go around. I allowed myself to have something that I could never have," his voice cracked, and a single tear escaped down his cheek. Rose sucked in a deep breath, feeling her body shake with huge sobs.

"You're-" gasp, "-not making sense," Rose gasped again, trying to keep what little dignity she had at that point.

"I know, but hopefully I will in the end," he tilted his head slightly, a look crossing his face that she couldn't place.

The room was silent as they stared at each other. She considered everything that had happened in just the past twenty four hours: her award, the ceremony, the running, burning her work, and Scorpius. He had invaded her life in the best way, infecting every thought with his stupid smirk, his gentle touches.

"Rose, I'm in love with you," he said at last.

Rose sat for a long moment, letting the words sink in.

"Fuck," she finally said.

"Yeah, he responded.

"I…" Rose went through a hundred different emotions and feelings in a few fleeting seconds, I don't-"

"You don't need to say anything," he continued. Scorpius leaned in close and kissed her forehead. Rose felt a deep need in her to wrap her arms around him and pull him close, but her mind was at odds with her heart.

"You just need to trust me," he told her, smoothing her hair down.

"I..."

And a large crack sounded from outside the tent. Scorpius was out the door before Rose could blink, wand at the ready and a pillar of strength. Rose, and she pulled her wand out, ready to fight.

Upon entering the main tent, she saw that it wasn't an enemy, but another friend that had joined them.

"Rose!" Roxanne rushed around the heater in the center of the room and hugged her friend tightly, "I'm so glad you're okay."

It took a moment before Rose replied. "What are you doing here?" without the tone that the question entailed. Roxanne picked up quickly on the accusation, looking to Albus for help. Rose didn't follow her gaze, keeping her eyes fixed on Roxanne. It made her clearly uncomfortable.

"I… don't think I should be the one to talk to you about this," Was all she could offer, and Rose stormed out of the tent without another word.

"Rose, wait!" Albus called after her.

"I've got it," Scorpius muttered, following quickly.

The room was left in a stunned silence.

"So, how about telling us what the hell is going on?" Sam grinned, beckoning the two newcomers to sit down.

…

Rose stumbled through the forest, anger building as she walked. She had no idea where she was, but she just needed to get far enough away to think. She trekked along, letting the cold finally seep into her bones. She stopped at a fallen log, and stood, staring at it. A shiver racked her body, and she let it, embracing the numbing feeling. Rose finally sat, sinking onto the rotting wood and letting her tears fall again.

Her life had been flipped upside down in the last twenty four hours, and she felt betrayed. How could Rose possibly return when Scorpius told her that everything she knew had been a setup? _Well, his feelings weren't…_ Rose pushed the thought away. There was no way she could deal with that sort of thing just then.

First and foremost, she was in danger. He was helping. Albus was with him. Harry had approved it. She went through facts in her head, chewing on them until they sat with her. She didn't feel like seeing the other side. Rose could only think of herself, and how her perfect life had fallen apart.

 _I don't deserve this_ , she cried harder. Rose had pushed herself, worked her arse off to get where she was as a potioneer. And what did she get for it? _Chased by some fucking goons. And for what?_

Rose recalled her potion, pulling the small vial out of her pocket. It still glowed a pale blue. She smiled sadly to herself. _Will I ever get to test it?_

She felt a presence before she heard it, and Rose spun quickly, slipping her vial into a pocket.

"It's just me," Scorpius had both hands up. Rose could only relax slightly, taking her hand off her wand. He slipped his hands into his pockets, gazing at her silently. She wiped the tears from her face with the palm of her hand, trying her hardest to regain her usually strong appearance. She crossed her arms, staring back at him defiantly.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Scorpius shrugged, the defeat clear in his voice.

"Thanks," she responded, though she didn't forgive him. Rose didn't feel the forgiving type just then.

"Roxanne was just helping us as much as she could," Scorpius explained to the still tense Rose, "She's not an Auror or anything, but Albus thought she could be helpful. He was right." He seemed relieved at that thought, and Rose wondered if he intended to protect her on his own.

"Am I safe?" The words left Rose's lips before she could think about them. As soon as they came, she decided she didn't want to know the answer.

"No," he told her, and she nodded. She should have expected that much.

"Who is coming after us?" her voice was small. She was having an out of body experience, watching herself blurt the questions that were on her mind.

"The Death Keepers," he told her as if he had done it a thousand times before, "They seem to be sympathizers of Voldemort's cause. We're unsure if they're targeting you because of your heritage, or because of your potion."

"According to our intel," he continued, "They're only after you, not any of your siblings or cousins. So we believe it's your work that caused this interest."

Rose nodded slowly. That fit in with what she had already considered.

"I'm not even sure if it works," she shrugged, "They could be looking for a botched potion."

"It wouldn't just be for the potion you made Rose," he told her slowly, "It's you. You're brilliant. We don't know what for, but you're one of the brightest minds of the time."

Even though it was a compliment, the words struck fear into Rose once more. She found herself taking deep breaths, and the familiar prick of tears clawed at her face once more.

"Oh my god," she pulled her hands to her face, and Scorpius was there in an instance. Her fear won over her mistrust, and she found herself wrapped tightly in his embrace.

And Rose found that despite what her brain screamed at her, Rose felt protected in Scorpius's arms. Her heart soared, and she found herself tilting her head up, forcing her lips onto Scorpius's. He pulled back in surprise, but she slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. He hummed in appreciation, falling into the passionate kiss. The vibrations traveled down her body, sending a gush of wetness to her core. His lips were grounding, pushing the numbness away and filling her with warmth once again. She forced her tongue past his lips, tasting him, and she couldn't get enough. Rose's fingers laced into his hair, pulling his head back and taking those sweet lips away from her. She grazed her teeth along his jaw, licking her way down his collarbone.

He pulled back, placing his hands on either side of her face, "Rose, are you okay?" he searched her, but all she could see was his messed up hair, and the flush of his cheeks in the moonlight.

"No," she answered, grabbing his robes and spinning him around. She backed up into a tree, pulling him close so that she could feel his throbbing cock against her thigh through his trousers, "But I need you," she was kissing him again, inviting him in.

"Rose," Scorpius muttered against her lips, a warning.

"Please," she cried, grinding a thigh against his length. Scorpius moaned in response, and she knew she had caught him.

He returned to her with renewed passion, kissing her fiercely and forcing his tongue roughly into her mouth. Their tongues danced, and he grinded against her. With every movement, the friction built in Rose, soaking her panties. She found herself pulling at his clothes franticly. Scorpius pushed her hands back, slipping her trousers and panties below her ass and reaching for his own belt. Rose kicked her bottoms off, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. When he was free, he grabbed her hips, hiking her up onto the tree and pinning her there with his weight.

Rose was impressed by his strength once again, and a pang deep inside her head reminded her it was because he was trained as an Auror. As he slid into her, the thought melted away, and she was back in the moment. Scorpius entered her slowly, and Rose relished at the familiar stretch. She was a little sore from the night before, but she adjusted quickly, sighing at the sensation.

"Fuck me hard," she whispered to him, and he delivered. Scorpius set a relentless pace, and Rose was gasping at every movement. She felt so dirty, fucking in the woods, pinned against the tree by nothing but Scorpius's body weight. The thought sent a fresh wave of pleasure through her, and she moaned loudly. Scorpius raised a hand, forcing it over her mouth.

"Shh, the others will hear," he grinned at her, grinding in just the right way for her to moan through his hand. She bit at one of his fingers and he looked into her eyes, his passion the only thing written on his face. Rose kept her eyes open, as they glazed over with her orgasm. She could think of nothing besides Scorpius's cock pounding through the feeling, and she was left a moaning, sweaty mess. She was so wrapped up in her own feelings, that she didn't notice him finish, but the slowing of his movements certainly cued her in.

He let her down, and they laughed together, cleaning up the aftermath and pretending, just for a moment, that everything would be alright.

* * *

 _Author's Note_ : Sorry for the late update guys! I had a rough week, and while the chapter was half finished yesterday, I wanted to take an extra day to make sure I gave you a quality as opposed to a rushed chapter. I got AMAZING responses to the last chapter, and I am so excited to hear your thoughts as the story unravels! Hope you enjoy!


	14. Control

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 14**

 **Control**

The next week seemed to drag on slowly. Rose felt as if she was in a microcosm, put on pause from the rest of the world. The tent had some comfort clothes set up in it, which served to unnerve Rose even more. How long were they going to be there? She told herself blind comforting lies to keep herself sane. The homey setup of the tent made her feel more like she was on vacation than in hiding. _I can finally relax_ , she told herself, _I've worked very hard for a very long time. I'm celebrating my Innovator award._ Though the thoughts helped her to feel safe, she had some other things to work through. After her rendezvous with Scorpius the night they settled in, Rose couldn't even look at him. She still couldn't bring herself to trust him. He was obviously upset by her avoidance, and dealt with it as best as he could: by ignoring her back. Rose opted to share a room with Alice, not ready to talk to anyone else in the group yet.

Her days were long and boring. Luckily Alice remembered to bring the rune from her lab. On her first day, Rose spread some books out on the single table in the main room. She was attempting to bind the rune with a single book so she could read whatever she wanted. It would be a great excuse to continue ignoring people. Roxanne made the poor choice of trying to talk to her. _Does nobody understand my disinterested face?_ Rose was fuming.

"What are you up to?" Roxanne sipped her tea and sat across from Rose. She waved her wand a second time, her next trial less successful than the last. With a frown, Rose studied the rune more closely.

"Anything interesting?" she asked again. Roxanne spoke loudly and clearly. There was no doubt that Rose had heard her. Rose studied the rune more closely, as if the engravings would jump out and yell at her. Her ears were visibly red from the effort of pretending Roxanne didn't exist.

"Well that's cool. I'll just sit here then," Roxanne kicked her feet up. She was clearly a stubborn girl. They both were, and so they were at a very awkward standstill. Rose didn't like it. She felt the burning of Roxanne's eyes on her, and it took serious concentration to stay focused on her task. By the end of the day she had successfully linked Auggie's rune with her book. Without a word, she took it and went to her room with a candle.

"Nice chat!" Roxanne yelled after her.

Albus knew to steer clear of Rose when she was in a mood, and she never even saw him. He was like a ghost in the tent, though she wouldn't have known if he was there or not anyway, because she never left her room. She spent her days in that tiny little room holed up by herself. It was very bare: two cots, a night stand, and Rose's stack of books. Sam brought her food at lunch and dinner. He'd sit with her silently and listen to the radio as she read.

" _The string of crime in London continues as the Ministry Library is robbed of several artifacts,"_ the radio crackled. Sam relaxed on his elbows, looking comfortable as ever on the old cot. Rose sat up against Alice's cot, half listening as she read more historical reports of Mopsus.

" _Despite several small injuries, there is no sign of malicious intent. The recent break-in appears to be specific to the ministry, and at this time there seems to be no implication of personal threat,"_ Sam made a noise of disagreement. Rose looked up, waiting for him to voice his complaint.

"Things like this historically start small, and become personal very quickly," Sam frowned, "Wars don't start overnight."

Rose's brow furrowed, and she folded the corner of her book.

"Really Sam? A war?" she viewed him incredulously, "Since when were you a history buff?"

He grinned back at her, "Only student in my class with an O in NEWT level history of magic!"

"That's because you were the only student who's ever taken a NEWT level history," she tossed the book at him. He swatted it away, laughing back at her.

Rose would sleep when the sun went down. And she found that if she woke up early, she could have a cuppa and return to her room before anyone could bother her.

The more time she spent by herself, the more she resented Scorpius and her cousins. How dare they alter her life without her consent? Sure they said it was to protect her, but she was a reasonable person, wasn't she? Did they really think she was so helpless that she couldn't protect herself?

On her third day in hiding, she left her room to pee, and ran straight into Scorpius.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking away from her quickly. Her face burned bright red, and her entire body tingled from the collision. Or so she told herself.

She didn't respond, simply moved straight past him. As she left the tent, she spun around to pin the door closed and caught the look on his face. He was watching her leave, and though she couldn't read his features, her stomach dropped at his stone cold expression. She left quickly, but the look was burned in her eyes as if she had just looked at the sun.

Rose found herself tossing and turning every night. By the time the morning light lit up the tent on her seventh day in hiding, she was convinced she hadn't slept a wink, though she was far from exhausted. Rose stood up, flinching at the cold of the morning. When she entered the main tent, she started up the heater right away.

Rose sat by it, a blanket wrapped over her shoulders, and a morning cup warming her hands. It was strange to her still, to have such a quiet morning. She tried to enjoy it, pretending she was on vacation. But anxiety bubbled in her gut. Her companions could wake up any moment, and she was still giving most of them the cold shoulder.

As if her thoughts conjured him, Albus stepped through the front doors, letting in the cold of the early morning and carrying some brown bags.

"Morning Rosie," he grinned, stepping past her to the kitchenette. He dropped the bags on the counter, pulling out some perishables. Rose wondered again how long they would be staying in that tent.

Thankfully, they sat in silence as Albus started up the stovetop and started making bacon. They hadn't had a proper conversation in a while, and she felt the tension between them. She frowned, a foreboding feeling filling her. His cooking seemed to be coming to a close, ad she didn't want to be forced into a conversation. In a last attempt to avoid the situation, she stood and walked towards her room.

"Sorry for lying to you," he said at last, and she stopped. The words released a little of the tension in her shoulders.

Rose stared at a twig on the floor, willing the heater to warm her still freezing toes, "I'm not ready to forgive you," she replied. Her voice felt hoarse from disuse.

"That's okay," he said nonchalantly, the sputtering of the bacon ceasing. He made his way over, sitting on the couch with his own cup of tea, "You're safe, but I know it came at the cost of my trust."

"Why couldn't you guys just tell me?" Rose spun to him, demanding his full attention. Albus's jaw clenched, for a moment, and when it finally released, he looked tired.

"Scorpius's plan," he told her. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, "I'm not blaming him. I agreed. We couldn't tell you."

"Why not though?" she pestered.

"I don't know," Albus dismissed her, "How about fate?"

"Seriously?" she laughed, "You couldn't tell me because of fate?"

"Yup," he grinned, "If I give you an abstract answer it's too out there for you to ask more."

"Whatever," Rose rolled her eyes, sitting back down next to him. They sat in silence once again, but it was no longer tense.

Rose simmered in her thoughts, trying to pick her feelings of her cousin out of the messy soup that was her anger. It proved to be more difficult than she anticipated.

"Remember when our parents would bring us to the Quidditch World Cup?" Albus smiled.

"We'd try to stay up all night because we didn't want to miss anything," she smiled back.

"And somehow we still woke up before anyone else," he wondered aloud.

"Hugo sleeps like a rock and James always snuck some of Uncle Harry's Firewhiskey," Rose giggled.

"That explains a lot," Albus shook his head. They laughed it out, and the feeling spread in her chest. Everything felt almost right again. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her, giving her a side hug.

"You should at least talk to Roxanne," he muttered. Rose sighed. She didn't have the energy to do much of anything.

"And say what?" Rose scoffed, "You all lied to me Albus, but Roxanne is my roommate. She's my best friend," Rose felt her throat tighten and swallowed quickly. She had held strong so far, she wasn't about to break down yet.

"She only knows that we were protecting you," he said, "We didn't tell her what you needed protecting from, or anything else Only that we needed her to keep an eye on you. And we needed access to your apartment just in case," Albus cringed, "that sounds worse than it was."

Rose made a face, "Do you get why I can't trust you guys?"

Albus nodded, "No, I get it. And I know I can't earn that back right now. But you're talking to me, and that's a start."

"I can do that much," Rose said.

"Good. So while we're talking," he kicked his feet out, considering his next words. A little crease appeared between his eyebrows, "Scorpius is pretty put out."

Rose grabbed a single curl, smoothing it out between her fingertips, "So?"

"So he's been my friend for 10 years and I've never seen him looking so guilty. You probably know, but I think he cares about you a lot," Albus tried to catch her eye, but Rose had gotten very good at ignoring people in the last few days.

"He does," she whispered.

"Is something happening between you two?" Albus asked, and immediately covered his eyes with one hand, "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know right now."

"And I wouldn't tell you if there was," Rose rolled her eyes.

Albus pulled his hand away, taking a big sip of tea to center himself, "You haven't had a relationship since-"

"I know," Rose pulled the blanket tighter on herself, "That's not why I haven't said anything to Scorpius," she defended herself.

"I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, but you can't say it doesn't affect you at all." he said softly.

"I know," Rose frowned, "Scorpius is a whole different person."

"I'm not saying you should do anything about it, but you should know that he's miserable," Albus said.

"This feels a lot like a guilt trip," she laughed. He shrugged.

"If it gets him to stop moping around like you are, I'm willing to try anything," he admitted. Rose punched his shoulder.

"I'll think about it," she grinned.

Once again fate was working in mysterious ways that day. One of the room flaps opened revealing a shirtless Scorpius. Rose looked up and couldn't help but admire his chiseled muscles. A week without him had been very long for her, but as soon as she looked to his face she remembered why she hadn't been talking to him.

"And that's my cue," she sighed, retreating to her room without a second glance to the boys.

…

After a week and a half, Rose was starting to get really anxious. She was bored with her books, and didn't know what else to do with herself. To make matters worse, her companions were driving her crazy.

" _Yesterday's break in has been evaluated further, and it seems that some runic scrolls were stolen from Kit's Specialty Shop."_ The radio buzzed. Rose let the sound wash over her like white noise, her book long forgotten near her feet on the cot.

"More missing materials?" Sam put his head in his hands and mumbled something else.

"What?" Rose shook her head, slipping back into the moment.

"There were four injuries this time," he continued. She could see the tension in his hands. Rose was starting to see that his wild theory of war was really getting to him.

"Hey," she said, sitting up straight and trying to catch his eye, "Sam, look at me," she commanded.

He did, and his face reflected the rigidity of his body. Rose fought a frown that threatened to creep onto her face.

"Sam, they're just break ins," Rose said softly. Sam nodded slowly at her. She needed to get through to him, "We're not near them. They're not targeting anyone specific, it's just robberies."

"I want to see if my mum is okay," he whispered. Rose's heart broke for him.

"I know," Rose said, "I want to check in on my family too, but Albus said no communication right now." And Rose did know. She grew more anxious every day that she wasn't talking to her labmates and her family. Luckily for her, everyone that they were in hiding with was her close friend. Sam was completely alone.

"We'll get through this soon," Rose hugged Sam, "I promise."

Rose and Sam entered the main tent, sitting with Alice on the couch. Sam and Alice chatted for a while, and as Rose stared at the heater, her familiar anger started bubbling up again.

"I really wish I could tell my dad we're safe," Alice said quietly. Rose stood up suddenly, yelling in frustration.

"I don't even know why we're hiding!" Rose shouted, pacing around the main tent. Alice and Sam sat wide-eyed as they watched her move back and forth.

"The Death Keepers are trying to capture you," Sam reminded her.

"But why?" Rose asked, throwing her arms in the air, "What do they want from me?!"

"We don't know," Alice answered. The plain response slowed Rose, but only for a second.

"What will be so bad if they catch me, huh? What do they really want?" She continued her rant. When she spun around to continue pacing, Scorpius was standing in the corner of the room. She was stunned silent, biting her lip from spitting a short remark at him.

"They want you dead," Scorpius replied with no emotion. That really stopped Rose.

"What?" she whispered, but he was already broken past her hardened walls.

"They will torture you for information, and then kill you." he told her.

A million questions filled Rose's mind, but none of them made their way out of her lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" Albus entered the tent, anger diffusing into the room.

"She wants the truth?" Scorpius spat, "I'll give her the bloody truth."

He stepped up to her, shoving a finger to her chest, "You're dead if they find you."

"I can protect myself," Rose said through clenched teeth. She found her footing again, digging her heels in against Scorpius's onslaught of statements meant to scare her.

"You can try," he stepped closer, "But they're better." He was standing so close now, the heat of his anger coming off of him in waves. Rose held strong, glaring at him as if this was all his fault.

"And you're so much better than them?" Rose retorted, invading his personal space. She could feel his breath on her face now, the sweetness that was now familiar to her.

"I'm not," he growled, "And that is why you're _not safe_." he spun quickly, retreating to his room.

"I'm not done here Malfoy!" Rose stormed after him, pushing Albus out of the way.

"Of course you're not," he retorted, still facing away from her.

"You can't just keep my friends and I locked up here," Rose pleaded.

"You're not locked up anywhere, this is for your safety!" He said, running his hands through his hair.

"Then why don't you tell me what's going on?! Who are the Death Keepers, why are they so powerful?" she felt like she was talking to a brick wall, "Scorpius I'm sick of this. You can't ignore me for two weeks and then talk to me like this, who the hell do you think you are?"

This felt so familiar. It was as if she were thrown back into hogwarts, a sixth year screaming at the immature boy to stop being a lazy prat and do his work on their potion already.

"You're a fucking arse, you know that?" she spat.

He spun around quickly, and Rose could take in every feature like a snapshot. His face was the stone that caused her stomach to clench, but his eyes weren't empty like they were before. They were blazing with that same fire they always had at Hogwarts. Rose was frozen as he approached her, grabbing her head roughly and pulling her towards him. Scorpius's lips crushed against hers, and the anger built inside of her erupted into passion. He forced his tongue past her lips and she bit it, forcing him to pull back.

Rose grabbed his shirt in two handfuls, shoving him back onto the small cot. He cupped her arse with both hands, hoisting her into his lap and grinding her hips against him.

"Scorp," she moaned against his lips, and he tilted his head, dragging his lips against her jaw. He grazed his teeth against her pulse point and she pulled back from the intense sensation, placing her hands on his shoulders. He pulled her closer, pulling at the fabric of her blouse. The buttons popped open or tore off, she couldn't tell when his lips were on her skin. He sucked roughly at one of her breasts, darkening the skin just above her nipple. A deep moan escaped Rose as she gave into the sensation, her wild mind quiet at last. The only thing that occupied her senses was Scorpius. His smell, the salt on his skin, the feel of him beneath her. He pulled her bra down, sucking a nipple into his mouth and biting lightly. Rose grinded into him, finding friction against his cock hardening beneath layers of clothing. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her, and she made soft noises of frustration as her hips moved fruitlessly against his hardness.

"Tell me what you need Rose," Scorpius murmured against her pink flesh. Goosebumps formed where his breath touched her, encouraged by the wetness of his spit on her breasts.

"I don't want to think about anything anymore," she pleaded, "Scorpius, I need you to take control of me." The words had barely left her mouth when he flipped her over, kissing her roughly.

"Stay right there," he whispered into her mouth, and she gasped, pulling in the air of his words.

Her body was hot, aching from where he left her. Rose went to sit up and gasped as a hand clenched around her neck.

"Did I tell you to sit up?" he asked her. Rose's mouth hung open as a gush of wetness flooded from her vagina. This was exactly what she had wanted, but she didn't expect it to have this much of an affect on her.

"No," she squeaked, his hold on her neck allowing her just enough room to speak.

"No, what?" he prompted, his hold on her tightening ever so slightly. A look of confusion passed on Rose's face, but no sooner had it crossed her features than it left, replaced by a look of pure lust.

"No, Sir," she gasped as his hand released her, "No sir, you didn't tell me to move."

"What did I tell you?" he repeated, crossing the room once more.

"You told me to stay right here," she responded, watching him as he pulled a box out from in front of the cot. He pulled out a tie, letting the fabric run through his fingers.

"I like that one," Rose purred, sitting very still, "You look good in green."

"I think you'll look better in green," he grinned, holding the tie in both hands.

"Cross your arms behind your back," he instructed. She did as she was told, lifting her chin to keep him in her sight. He pulled her up off the cot, turning her away from him.

"Is this okay?" he asked. Rose simply nodded.

"Now if this is the kind of play you like," he raised an eyebrow at her, "I need quick ground rules."

Rose giggled, "Like a safeword?"

Scorpius moved Rose's wrists so that they overlapped, wrapping them in the fabric and tying them tightly together, "Exactly like a safeword," he responded.

"I hate silly words, so I stick with simple words," he continued. Scorpius pulled at the tie a little, testing his handiwork. He hummed in approval.

"You like quidditch, right?" Scorpius grinned, placing a kiss on Rose's neck. She would normally snake her arms around his head, but found herself tugging at her restraints instead.

"Sometimes I might check in, to see if you're doing okay," he hooked his thumbs into her trousers and panties, removing them both in one swift motion, "Quaffle means everything is good. You are enjoying yourself."

"I am definitely enjoying myself," she giggled.

"Enjoying yourself, what?" he brought his arm around so quickly, grabbing Rose's chin and spinning her towards him.

"I am enjoying myself, Sir," she was wide-eyed as she responded.

"Good," he brushed his lips against hers, pulling back when she tried to kiss him.

"If you need to slow down, or are uncomfortable, you'll say Bludger," he instructed.

Rose nodded, "Nobody likes Bludgers."

"Easy, right?" Scorpius grinned, "And lastly, if something is going wrong, if you need to stop what we are doing immediately…"

"Snitch?" Rose guessed.

"Snitch stops the game," Scorpius grinned, "Do you understand the rules?"

Rose nodded once more, shifting in her makeshift restraint, "Quaffle is good to go, Bludger is slow down, and Snitch is stop immediately." she told him, "Sir," she added with a grin.

"Now where were we," Scorpius stepped up to Rose, trailing his fingers around her breasts. He watched as her nipples hardened, pulling on one of them lightly.

"You were gonna fuck me hard," Rose crossed her legs, trying to find friction.

"You don't tell me how to fuck you," Scorpius growled, shoving Rose to sit on the low cot. She gasped, surprised by his rough movements.

"Yes Sir," she replied, "You can fuck me however you want," she said. And as the words left her mouth, a new wave of wetness came with it. She felt herself leaving a soaked spot on the cot, feeling dirty for having her uncovered pussy rubbing on something so odd.

"You're damn right I can," he unzipped his trousers, dropping his pants and stepping out of them. He stroked his length, and having it so close, Rose wanted to lick it. She imagined that were her hand stroking him, giving him the pleasure he deserved.

"I'm going to fuck your mouth, Rose," he told her. She ground herself against the cot and a light moan escaped her.

"But first," he said, "I want you to get me hard."

"Please, Sir," she licked her lips, and he brought his cock to her mouth.

Rose stuck her tongue out, licking him from balls to tip. She swirled her tongue around his large tip, earning herself a noise of content from Scorpius. She puckered her lips, dragging them down his length and sucking lightly, rubbing against every vein, licking hard as she returned to the tip. When she finally sucked Scorpius into her mouth, she moaned against him, rubbing herself once more against the cot. She pulled him to the back of her throat, swallowing around him and earning herself a moan.

"Very good Rose, but one more thing," his voice was honey, pouring over her skin and warming her core, "I'm going to cum, but you are not."

"What?" she said, his hard dick falling from her mouth with a pop.

"You heard me," he told her, "You aren't allowed to cum yet. If you do, you will be punished, do you understand?"

Rose looked up at him, biting her lip and staying strong, "Yes Sir, we're Quaffle."

"Good," he said at last, wrapping a hand in her hair and pulling her to him. Rose took his long hard dick into her mouth once more, but Scorpius had her head this time. He shoved himself down her tight, wet throat roughly, causing her to gag on him. He moaned loudly at the sensation, and Rose ground against the cot again, pleased that she was making him feel that good. She relaxed her throat, and he thrusted into her lightly at first, sure that she could take him, then gradually more roughly. It was a strange sensation, but Rose found that she loved the feel of his thick, hard cock penetrating her throat. She relaxed, letting him use her as he saw fit. And he was enjoying himself, sliding in and out of her hot, wet mouth. With a gasp, Rose realized she was nearing an orgasm. She had been grinding herself against the cot the whole time, and tried to pull off of it, preventing it from furthering. But Scorpius was relentless now, finding pleasure in the vibration of her throat as she moaned against him. With his gasps of pleasure, Rose sat in admiration as her climax built just from pleasuring him. She imagined him filling her throat with his thick, hot cum. It filling her stomach and warming her from the inside. She would swallow all of him, keeping him in her throat for as long as he pleased. The thought turned Rose on so much, that she ground against the cot once more. That was enough to send her over the edge, and Rose moaned loudly against Scorpius's cock.

As she came, he pulled himself quickly from her mouth, grabbing her neck roughly.

"Did you just cum when I fucked your mouth?" Scorpius asked her, pinching the sides of her neck. Rose's airway wasn't closed, but she felt a lightness fill her head. _He's blocking blood flow_. She registered briefly, but more prevalently, was the feeling of her world coming to a point. He released her, and when his hand left her throat, The blood flowed back to her head again. Rose panted as something else flowed through her: pleasure, straight to her clit.

" _What?"_ Rose asked herself, incredulous at the sensation. Scorpius pushed her chest back, forcing her to lean against the wall of the tent. She feared for a moment she would fall backwards into the fabric, but despite the appearance, it was as hard as a wall.

"If you want to cum, I'll make you cum," he told her, sliding his tongue roughly against her clit.

Rose cried, trying to pull away from the too-intense sensation, but Scorpius held the cheeks of her arse tightly against his face, flicking his tongue quickly against her clit. Her next orgasm built quickly, his relentless pace tipping her over the edge. As she came a second time, he slipped two fingers easily into her pussy, turning his wrist and pulling his fingers against her G-spot. He rubbed his fingers against her, licking circles around her clit now. This time as she built to another orgasm, she ached, exhausted from the sensations. They felt incredible, the most pleasure she'd experienced over and over again, leaving her clit sore and aching. When she came, she cried, tears spilling from her eyes. He pulled from her quickly, and Rose barely registered the next sensation until Scorpius's dick was pushing into her. She was so wet that he slid in easily, and Rose savored the feel of his head pushing through her tight walls. As he pulled out, she was hyper aware of the feel of him inside of her. It was as if the tight, warm walls of her pussy were clutching so tightly at him that she could feel every vein, every brush of his head against her. He pulled himself almost all the way out. He then slammed himself into her hard, and Rose felt as if the wind left her body. He kept up the relentless pace, and though Rose was glad to give her aching clit a break, her body was worn. Aware of this, Scorpius pulled Rose's leg up, hitching it around his shoulder. He hiked her other leg up so that her calves were against his chest. This time when Scorpius pushed into her, Rose couldn't stop the cries that escaped her. She was even _tighter_ if that were possible. She felt herself being stretched by his girth, unable to ignore the sensations deep within her. When he pushed in, she felt him meet resistance, and gasped at the new feeling. The sensitive head of his dick was rubbing against her cervix. He pulled out and thrust in roughly, and Rose couldn't stop the guttural noises that escaped her. Tears streamed down her face as he fucked her, building her to a deep orgasm. She felt it beginning, but it grew slowly, encouraged only by the deep penetration that he was forcing upon her. Rose's throat felt raw, and her body tingled as the orgasm slowly enveloped her body. It was the most pointed pleasure she had felt, an orgasm unlike any she had experienced. It was deeper inside of her, grasping at every part of her body. As the corners of her vision blurred, Rose heard Scorpius moan as his thrusting slowed. He was so deep inside of her that when he came into her, she could feel herself being filled more than she ever had. Thick streams of cum hit against her cervix, pooling around the head of his dick buried deep inside of her. Rose was gasping for air even as he removed himself from her, dripping onto the already wet cot. He squeezed into the space next to her, pulling her tight against him and stroking her hair.

"Was that okay Rosie?" Scorpius whispered into her hair. Rose could do nothing but moan in response. He laughed, kissing her head lightly.

...

When Rose awoke the next day, she felt very different. Opening her eyes, she realized it was because she was in Scorpius's bed.

"Morning," Scorpius pulled Rose close again, breathing in her scent.

They lay in comfortable silence, and Rose was thankful for the warmth of Scorpius's body. When she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that they were in her own bed, with the window open and the sun on her skin. But it didn't last. Something was nagging at her.

"Scorpius," Rose said, her voice hoarse.

"Mmm," he responded, tracing patterns on her back. She took a moment to lay in the sensation.

"We've only been…" she paused, smiling, "... seeing each other for a little while," she felt Scorpius tense under her, and her stomach did a backflip, "When did you..?"

"Ah," he cleared his throat, pulling himself to a sitting position. Rose stayed where she was, laying her head on his lap. He moved his hand and ran his fingers through her hair, "You're too smart for me," he laughed.

Rose waited as he collected his thoughts, "That day that we were together, in seventh year," he paused, still pulling his fingers through the tangles in her hair. She shifted to a more comfortable position, committed to letting him tell her his full story this time.

"You've always been perfect. I never had the courage to properly snog you. I still don't know who kissed who," he grinned at the memory, "but at some point you mentioned how glad you were to finally have a casual night without strings."

Rose's brow furrowed. She didn't remember saying that.

"And so I took the love that I could get," he shrugged, "I acted detached the next day, because that's what you wanted. And I knew that I was lucky enough to get Rose Weasley in any way that I could have her," he told her, but he did not seem sad.

"I don't remember telling you that," Rose said in a small voice.

"You might have been drunk," Scorpius reminded her with a smile, "When people black out, you don't usually lose whole nights, you lose small moments, bits of sentences," He pulled a curl of her hair, watching it bounce back into place, "Even if you didn't mean to say it, the words reflected how you felt at the time. And I didn't want to push. Ruin what we had."

"What did we have?" Rose asked. Scorpius paused in his playing as he considered his answer.

"A start to something good," he told her with a smile.

* * *

 _Author's Note : Hey y'all! Thanks for the encouragement. A lot has been going on with my personal life, and I've just kinda hit a slump with this story. I'm trying to find inspiration in weird places, so if you have anything you love PLEASE recommend it to me! Bad romcoms, other fanfictions, etc. I love them. Anyways if you didn't notice, this is a double chapter to try to make up for my horrid lack of updates. Also the sex is kicking up a notch, so I hope that helps. Thanks for being incredible and sticking with me. I'm excited to see what happens next for these guys. _


	15. Snow

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 15**

 **Snow**

Christmas was Rose's favourite holiday. She always saved her knuts, stowed her allowance away and sought out the perfect presents. She prided herself on being able to give her family and friends the most perfect presents every year.

This year was no different, but it was also very unique. After the time she'd lost, she spent some frantic weeks picking out the perfect gifts for her family. A beautiful bronze watch for her brother as a gift for getting the management position of the Weasley shop in Hogsmeade. A quick-notes quill for Lily, who had been studying so hard at her new job. A clock for her mother that matched Nana Molly's: so that she could keep track of all her children at all times: something that would be very important to her after the year they'd had. Scorpius's present had been the first one she had found that year. Her father's had been the last. Of course her father's present mattered the most, because he was forced to accept a truth that he had never wanted to face: Rose was bringing a boy home for the holidays.

"I'm not sure he'll like me," Scorpius lamented for the hundredth time. He pulled at his tie, nervous as she had ever seen him. She noted with a grin that he hadn't sweat this bad even when her life was at stake.

"He's already met you, and he loves you," she reassured him, because she wasn't a monster. Rose knew that Scorpius needed to feel good before he walked in the house, and while she was throwing him to the wolves, the least she could do was give him a sword.

"Yeah, but as an auror. Not as your boyfriend," Scorpius muttered. Rose grinned. She felt something wet on her face and brought a hand up to her nose, her features shifting with a crease of confusion between her eyebrows.

"Snow," Scorpius noted with a sad smile. The last time they had seen snow had been an awful day. Rose fought the tears that threatened to spill across her face. She felt as if someone was reaching in her chest and squeezing her heart. "Come here," he pulled her tight, planting a long kiss in her hair. With a deep breath, warmth began to spread through Rose again. She felt just as safe in Scorpius's arms as she had the first time that he had embraced her. He held her until she regained her composure. When she could breathe properly, she pulled from him and kissed him tenderly. His lips were chilly, and she grinned against the kiss, finally breaking their contact.

"Don't be worried. It's Hugo you really have to watch out for," she told him, because while she wasn't a monster, she liked to keep him on his toes. At that, Scorpius blubbered something about feeling ill, and she flung the front door of the burrow open as she had a thousand times before.

"I'm here!" Rose yelled in as if everyone hadn't been waiting for her. Squeals of joy sounded through the house as the residents and guests rushed forward to greet her. With a flick of her wand, Rose's presents flew through the door high above the family's heads where they couldn't reach them.

"Don't you dare, James!" Rose shouted as he leaped up at a broom-shaped parcel. Of course she had gotten him the new experimental Cumulus 2.5 broom from her peer at Flight Industries. It wasn't even being advertised yet. She grinned with glee.

Rose's shining moment, however, was when she looked across the room and saw her father. But he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Scorpius as if he had brought him the world as a present. The roaring of the family died to chatter as Rose's father made his way to Scorpius and pulled him into a tight hug. The relief spilling from Scorpius was palpable, and Rose had to look away from the blinding interaction.

"I'll never say it enough," Rose could barely make out her father's words, "Thank you for saving my family."

…

Back in the present, Rose couldn't even conceptualize such a future. She was, however, basking in the first good night of sleep she had since being locked away like a princess. Scorpius left the cot to go do "Patrols". She rolled back over and passed out, noting briefly that she hadn't realized he'd been leaving the tent to do his job the past few days. She'd been too stuck in her head to notice. When the tent started to warm up again, she slipped from the covers on the makeshift bed, stretching her sore muscles.

"Why is getting laid so much work," she grumbled to herself, leaning forward and listening to her back pop. Rose found Scorpius's dresser and shifted around through his clothes, pulling out one of his sweaters and throwing it on. It didn't smell like him, so she was already starting the day badly. She left the room to see everyone but Scorpius sitting around the heater, drinking tea and eating breakfast.

Rose froze as all eyes fell on her, and with a growing horror, she realized that she was doing the walk of shame in front of her closest friends. She slowly raised an arm to scratch the back of her head awkwardly, and the silence droned on, nobody daring to address the situation. Roxanne looked down at her tea, barely covering a laugh.

"Ahh…" Rose started, looking to the door and hoping Scorpius would come in and save

the day. She wasn't that lucky. Instead she muttered, "Do silencing charms work well?"

"Oh my god," Albus stood from next to Sam, covering his ears in disgust, "I can't do this." he rushed past her into his room, whispering to himself, "Ew. Ew. Ew."

Roxanne was full-out laughing now, spilling a bit of her tea. It was infectious, and Sam started giggling, pulling his eyes from Rose. Even Alice covered her mouth to try and stop her laugh. Rose couldn't help but crack a smile.

"We didn't hear anything, though we could definitely connect the dots," Alice interrupted.

"At least someone's enjoying their time locked away," Sam rolled his eyes, moving over as Rose took a seat next to him.

"Barely," Roxanne rolled her eyes, "I can never tell if she wants to kill him or fuck him!" She raised an eyebrow.

Rose crossed her arms and pouted, "I can control my temper, thank you."

"Yeah, right," Alice giggled, "Do you remember in fifth year when you used Aunt Ginny's Bat-bogey hex on him?"

"He couldn't blow his nose for a week," Roxanne couldn't stop giggling.

"All because he got one point more than you on the DADA practical," Alice shook her head.

"That was one time!" Rose threw her hands up in exasperation.

"That was every time!" Roxanne retorted, "You couldn't stand him ever doing better than you."

"Which wasn't often," Rose mumbled.

The laughter died down and settled into a blanket of expectant silence. It wasn't quite awkward, but Rose felt an urge in her chest to speak that tried to bubble over. She searched for something to say, but every word that came to the tip of her tongue died out in a futile simmer. Rose found herself looking at Roxanne, and her best friend's eyes told her everything she needed to know. Rose smiled, and Roxanne's lips turned up in kind.

"I'm sick of being stuck inside," Alice complained, standing up and stretching her arms, "Anyone wanna go for a walk?"

"I think I'll stay here," Sam said, and Rose noticed him glancing to Albus's door. She tilted her head in curiosity, but he ignored her, "It's pretty chilly out."

"Okay," Rose dragged out the word, leaving him room to change his mind, "I'd love to leave this prison though," she stood as well, making her way to her room, "Just give me a sec to throw some real clothes on."

Roxanne followed Rose into her room and took a seat on Rose's cot. Her dresser was bare of the fashionable clothes she liked to wear, but she settled on some big warm garments: it was apparently cold, not that she would know.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you," Roxanne said as Rose shed her shirt. For a brief moment, Rose felt like she was at Hogwarts again, dealing with the latest drama between her cousins. The nostalgia washed over her like warm water, and she found herself giddy. When her shirt was on, she turned to Roxanne.

"I missed you," she flopped onto the cot and pulled her friend in for a hug. They held each other until Rose felt as if the frayed edges of their friendship were mended. When she went to pull away, Roxanne pulled her back, and Rose found herself smiling.

"I was so scared," Roxanne said quietly. The smile slipped from Rose's face, feeling her cousin shaking against her. Rose pulled back and this time Roxanne let her, looking at her with misty eyes.

"Rose, they told me you could die if I told you anything," Roxanne said more strongly this time. Rose wanted to say that was absurd, but for once in her life she noticed the value of not speaking her mind the second the words floated through. Instead, she sat in silence, contemplating her next words.

"Thank you," she said at last. Fighting against the questions that built in her chest, Rose took Roxanne's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "I know it wasn't an easy choice, but I appreciate that you made it."

Roxanne was clearly still bothered by the predicament, but the corner of her mouth turned up in a smile nonetheless. "Come on," Roxanne cleared her throat, standing and letting Rose's hand fall off of hers, "You're family. If anyone is gonna recklessly put your life at risk it's gonna involve your best cousin and gallons of booze."

The two girls slipped out of the tent to meet Alice. The blinding light that met Rose reminded her how long it had been since she'd stepped outside. She hadn't known where they were, but seeing the woods in the daytime made their tent look much less menacing than she'd imagined it. On the contrary, if someone were to come across it on an adventurous hike, they'd think a group of friends were simply camping. Why anyone would in this weather though, Rose couldn't fathom. They were right, it was very cold out. Rose thanked the higher powers that their tent had an enchanted heater. Rose could see her breath, and shook as it took hold of her legs. Normally, she would fight the pain of the chill. But right then, it reminded her that she was alive.

Alice must have noticed the lost gaze on Rose's face, because she grabbed her hand, dragging her along the trees. The three walked in silence, and Rose was comfortable in a way that she hadn't been since leaving. If she focused, she could imagine that she and her two best friends were walking to the pitch after class, not talking because their brains hurt too much from studying all day. She was brought out of her fantasy, surprisingly, by the shape of the trees. They were a foreign species, not native to england. She snorted; only Rose would get tripped up on such a small detail.

After walking for a bit, Rose started to notice patches of snow in well-shaded areas.

"Where are we that there's snow in June?" She wondered aloud. Alice stopped suddenly, yanking Rose's arm with her.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, pulling her arm back quickly. She cradled it as she glared at Alice.

"Sorry," Alice muttered, staring at the patch of white, "I just didn't notice it."

"The wardens won't tell us where we are, 'for our own safety.'" Roxanne mocked in a funny voice. They started walking again, and Alice kept looking at the trees, mind seemingly far away.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rose asked. She had asked that question often in the past year, and each time she asked it, Rose had felt intrusive. And just as every time she had asked it, Alice turned back to her and grinned.

"Of course, why?" Alice asked. It was clear, throughout the loss of her mother, that Alice didn't like to talk about the things that bothered her. Back at Hogwarts, Alice was a rampent complainer of all students. If she had something good to say about you, there was something bad to even it out. In the past year, Alice had lost that, gaining a more distant, airy quality to her. Nobody had addressed the change, as it wasn't damaging anybody. But there was no denying that Alice was a different person.

Rose simply smiled back and shrugged, "You just seem a little out of it, that's all."

"Oh," Alice looked back to the trees, "I'm just wondering which countries experience winter in June."

"That's right," Rose's face lit up, "It depends on the hemispheres right?"

"I'm so bad at geography," Roxanne groaned.

"Me too," Alice and Rose echoed.

"Sam might know, we can ask him when we get back," Rose concluded with a nod.

"Hold on," Roxanne stopped suddenly, putting an arm in front of Rose. She stumbled and grabbed onto her friend's arm.

"What is it?" Alice asked, but was shushed by Roxanne. It was then that Rose noticed movement in the trees to their right. The three stood still as the movement ceased. Rose held her breath, waiting for what might happen next. She was suddenly reminded of Scorpius's warnings. _They'll kill you_ the voice rang in her head. On instinct, Rose couldn't let her friends get hurt before she did. Making to push Roxanne's arm out of the way, Rose stepped forward to confront whatever they faced.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" A voice came from behind them. Rose spun around to come face to face with the man she had just been thinking about.

"Oh, it's you," Rose sighed, letting her breath out.

"I told you not to leave the tent!" Scorpius was staring wide-eyed at the trio.

"Yeah for over two weeks," Rose scoffed, "You can't just keep me locked up in there forever, I'll go crazy."

"You'd rather risk your life?" He asked without the fury that his voice had once had. He was clearly tiring of her arguments quickly.

"Come on," Roxanne argued, "Just one quick walk to town. Maybe you could take her out to dinner?" she grinned mischievously.

Scorpius sighed and massaged his forehead, "Do you guys not understand what 'Your life is in danger' means?"

"We're a bunch of Gryffindors, what do you think?" Roxanne retorted with a sly grin.

Scorpius took a moment to consider Rose carefully. She wasn't sure what was going through his mind, but it was probably something along the lines of: _fuck this stupid fucking shit wants to put her life at risk be my guest it's not as if i've risked my life the last month to save your ass ungrateful piece of-_ Rose grinned at the thought.

And as Rose smiled, Scorpius's tough demeanor started to break down. The tension in his shoulders eased, and he dropped his hand from his forehead. Rose noticed these small changes, and felt a strange flutter in her chest. She held her breath, surprised that anything could penetrate the numbness that had taken hold there. And for once, she didn't immediately stifle it down.

"Everyone is coming," Scorpius said at last. Alice and Roxanne gave a cheer, and Rose's smile beamed, "I'll have to spend a day or two making a solid plan. This is extremely dangerous, and you have to know that you'll be in more danger if we're spotted."

Rose searched his face for the apprehension and fear that had lined his features the last few weeks, but she found it was covered up by an emotion she couldn't quite place. She fiddled with her hands awkwardly as she thought of how to express that she would be safe.

"Thank you," she said at last, the simple words feeling like they were just the tip of an iceberg of words that she wanted to spill.

"Don't thank me yet," Scorpius warned, turning from her and walking back to the tent, "We've gotta make sure your defensive spellwork is up to par."

* * *

 _Author's Note : Thanks for being super patient, and sticking through with my story! Anytime there's a review or I get kudos, my heart fills, even if it's a bad review. This story will NOT be abandoned, but school and work have been piling up. I plan to have one more chapter up in the next week (which will be a bomb of emotions, if I do it right), then updates may become sporadic again. It took me a lot of thought as to how I wanted the next events to proceed, but I think I'm at least relatively happy with the results. Have some happy holidays, and I'll see you guys soon!_


	16. Freedom

**.**

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 16**

 **Freedom**

"We shouldn't be doing this," Scorpius looks around as if someone will jump out of the shadows and grab Rose right there.

"Come on Scorp, I can't just sit in a tent for the rest of my life," Rose rolled her eyes, dragging him along.

"Of course you can. I'll even wrap you in bubble wrap so you can't hurt yourself," he said smartly, grinning like an idiot. Rose giggled, slowing her pace and walking next to him. Rose hadn't felt more alive in months. Her face burned from the cold, but that didn't stop her huge smile. She looked over at Scorpius, surprised at the warmth that gathered in her stomach. It spread to her whole body, and it was is if she was tingling with energy. _This is what it's like to be happy with someone,_ Rose told herself, _Scorpius is a really good guy. Just let yourself fall for him._

"Wait," he pulled Rose back a little, and her heart skipped a beat. Did he see something? Were they still safe? She glanced around as if she would run into the danger immediately. "Did you just call me Scorp outside of the bedroom?"

Rose blushed, and she took a deep breath, calming down. She smiled to herself.

"Is my name too long, Rose?" he teased, grinning as he pulled her closer. Rose's heart swelled and she turned bright red, embarrassed of the nickname.

"I don't know, I thought it was cute," she mumbled into his chest.

Scorpius wrapped his arms around Rose, kissing her head and messing up her hair, "It is. I like it."

He released her and she proceeded to drag him along, looking at the beautiful fronts of the shops. She still couldn't tell where they were, but she could see a ski lodge down the road. At the moment however, her toes were too cold to think of anything but hot chocolate.

"Food?" she asked, pointing at a sandwich place.

"I had other ideas," he grinned slyly, taking the lead.

They hadn't been out for long, but the sun was already starting to set. It cast beautiful lights on the snow and odd shadows on the street. As they walked, Rose appreciated the serene beauty of the small snow town that they found themselves in. Woodsy accents reminded her of old vacations to the lake: sandy toes and laughing with her cousins. Of course it was way too fucking chilly to think of the lake house just then.

Scorpius led her to a building tucked next to the slope with large beautiful windows. As Rose entered, she got the impression that it wasn't the kind of place she typically ate dinner. The lights were dimmed low, and the tables were comfortably spaced against a wooden wall. There were antlers adorning lights on the ceiling, and the long bar was calling out to her. _When's the last time I had a drink?_ She wondered briefly.

"Reservations for Smith," Scorpius told the hostess.

"Right this way, Mr. Smith," she responded in an accent Rose couldn't quite place. The hostess grinned at Rose as she turned and led them to the back of the room. They sat themselves and Rose appreciated the heat being pumped in from the fireplace behind Scorpius.

"Could I offer you a sample of any of our wine selections?" the hostess asked. Scorpius responded as Rose considered the hostess. _Australian?_ She guessed. _It would probably be snowy there this time of the year._

Quickly, a large glass of red was placed in front of her, and as Rose sipped she swooned a little.

"Yes," Rose said, "This one please!"

Scorpius laughed and asked for the bottle.

"Have you been skiing?" Scorpius asked. Rose fell easily into the facade. Being away from the tent helped to clear her head, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd been out for a fancy dinner.

"I haven't," Rose admitted, "I tagged along with a friend once, but I was too scared of the ski lift to try."

"You Rose? Scared?" Scorpius scoffed.

"I don't like uncontrollable heights," her voice rose in defence.

"Don't you fly?" he countered. She crossed her arms indignantly.

"Control! That's totally in my control. A ski lift could break at any moment." He laughed at her.

Luckily the hostess brought the wine and notified them that their server would be over shortly. Rose covered her embarrassment with a deep sip.

Just as she reached to refill her glass, the waitress took their order. Rose thought the Asian-inspired cuisine was out of place, and it served to throw her even more from her place of hiding. They ordered a couple of appetizers and an entree to share. As the waitress left with their order, Rose caught Scorpius's eye and couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face. He grinned in kind, reaching out and taking her hand. She could almost imagine that she was at a nice quiet trip with her lover until Albus and Sam walked in and took a place at the bar.

"Is that really necessary?" She glared daggers at her cousin, who pretended to be totally oblivious to the couple in the corner.

"It is entirely necessary," Scorpius responded, squeezing her hand and letting it go in favor of finishing his glass of wine, "You have to remember how big of a risk this is." Rose was pulled roughly back down from the clouds, and she frowned.

"Can you tell me more about the Death Keepers?" She lowered her voice, leaning in on the table, "Nobody knows anything, it's like you hold all the cards here."

He let out a short laugh with no humor, "If only you knew how true that were," he muttered ominously. Rose's brow furrowed in confusion, but she waited patiently as Scorpius glanced out the window. Two skiers zoomed by, and while Scorpius let his gaze wander, Rose's attention was fixed on her companion.

"When I graduated and joined the Aurors, I heard a little of the Death Keepers," he pulled his hand to his face, biting at the side of a nail, "Old Voldemort fanatics, we assumed." Rose made a sound of agreement. _That makes sense from their name,_ she thought.

"They were known for petty theft, attempted kidnappings," he continued, "They weren't trying to make their intentions known. Most were non-violent. I actually didn't know the depth of their dealings until Harry dropped the file on my desk." Rose imagined a younger Scorpius drowning in paperwork when Uncle Harry, all serious, brought the file. _He would have been super dramatic about it._ "Wait, I thought you said you didn't know what they want," Rose said. Scorpius glanced around quickly, probably making sure nobody was eavesdropping.

"It's a bit more complex than that," he responded, "They had a network of illegal trade of magical objects, but it seemed focused on the payoff. One past attempt at infiltration led to an altercation, causing the death of two Muggles. It wasn't a pretty case, but Harry had hope with me."

Rose felt pride in her chest. Of course Harry would place trust in Scorpius. He was a good wizard.

"After a few weeks I had done well. Taken out some smaller names, closed off some of their trade routes. I had some knowledge of their inner workings. At the time I was investigating a warehouse of stolen objects. It was a big bust, so Harry sent your cousin, Teddy, along with me and a team. It ended up being a lot harder than I had anticipated."

Scorpius paused suddenly. Rose opened her mouth to urge him to continue, but closed it again quickly. He looked lost in thought. Scorpius bit his nail again, apparently deep in the memory.

"There were some bigger guys stationed to protect the artifacts, but like nothing I had seen before," he ran a hand through his hair, "Rose this was the kind of man power that they'd have on a hideout. And it was."

"A hideout?" she asked.

"Like a home base for their operations," Scorpius explained, "It was more than we could have hoped to find."

"When we went in, cleared out the place, we only found two or three artifacts; a lot less than we had expected. But we learned so much more. There were tables and walls _full_ of information about the trades. Coded, of course. That took a long time to decipher. But the most disturbing part was when Teddy found your picture."

"What?" Rose gasped, leaning forward more. She was forced to lean back when the waitress came over with the food. There was a beautiful Tempura Prawn plate with a salad, some sort of fried chicken with a peanut sauce, and a beautiful steak. Rose might have been too wrapped up in the story to eat, but she hadn't had a proper dine-out like this in a few weeks. While she pulled a few pieces of chicken onto her plate with a fork, Scorpius cut the steak in half. She started with a bite of salad, and was surprised by the bite of spice to it. She took a sip of her wine, and her tastebuds were in heaven.

"Tell me more about my stalkers," Rose prompted, starting in on the steak. Scorpius twirled his fork in his hand, finishing the bite he was on.

"They had your weekly schedule down to a point," he told her, "Possible grocery points, dinner places, drinking habits. We contacted Harry immediately. He came down, and while we found tons of information about the routes, there was no information about any one person. Except for you. And no ties as to why. Why the hell would this illegal trade business want to know what days Rose wanted to stay late at the office?"

Rose snorted, "My life is not that interesting," she said, but despite her laugh, Rose couldn't hide that she felt very uneasy about the intrusion of privacy. Scorpius eyed her warily, clearly picking up on her discomfort.

"Yeah, it couldn't have been for anything good," he said quietly, "Harry assigned Teddy to the trade deals, and asked if I would take your case. Protect you. I said 'Why not _Teddy_? They're close, aren't they?' but he told me Teddy was too high-profile. He'd had the Gringotts break-in case just a month before."

"Oh, I remember that," Rose interrupted, "They'd used him as a spokesperson to ease public unrest. Some of those rich pureblood families were pissed about their money."

"Wouldn't you be?" Scorpius countered, taking a bite of his salad. Rose grinned back at him and shrugged, throwing in the towel. He wasn't wrong.

"If Teddy had been hanging around you, the Death Keepers would know," he nodded, affirming his own conclusions.

 _What does illegal trade have to do with me?_

They ate in silence for a bit, and Rose distracted herself with appreciating the spread of food in front of them.

"This is real good," Rose said between bites, and Scorpius laughed. By the end of the meal they were good and stuffed. The bottle of wine was empty, and Rose figured she'd probably drank most of it. Her cheeks were tinged pink, the only giveaway to her lightweight nature. Scorpius squared the huge bill, despite Rose's protests.

"What money are you gonna pay with?" he had laughed. Rose puffed up and pouted as if it would make any difference. They passed by Albus and Sam at the bar, and Rose punched Scorpius in the arm to point them out. When the pair left, they were grinning like idiots.

"Did you see that?" Rose asked as if he were blind. When she had glanced at them, there was no mistake that Sam was feeling Albus's bicep.

"Albus and Sam? Of course Rose, they're watching us," he rolled his eyes at her.

"Noooo," she giggled, "It's his signature flirt. Sam is putting the moves on Albus," she said in a funny voice. Scorpius stared at her seriously for a moment then she wiggled her eyebrows at him. They both broke out into laughter, heading down the street together.

As they walked, a little blue dress caught Rose's eye. She stopped suddenly, almos taking Scorpius down on the icy walkway.

"That dress is the fucking cutest," she said bluntly, putting a hand on the store window. Rose was the worst impulse shopper. It took her almost a full minute to peel herself off the glass.

"Do you want it?" Scorpius asked, looking it over.

"I have no money silly," Rose shook her head.

"But I do," he grinned.

"No way am I letting you buy me an expensive dress," she said immediately, "I can buy my own clothes when I have my own money."

"Just try it on," he grabbed her hand, pulling her into the store, "It is really cute."

They walked in, and they were greeted immediately by a worker.

"Just looking," she said on instinct with a grin, "Thank you so much." She was apparently the only worker in the store, and ran off to continue arguing with some woman about the availability of ten expensive new season items. Rose found the dress quickly, and happened to pick up five more on the way. Scorpius gave her a look.

"It's a good store!" Rose had said in defence. She headed back to the changing rooms and was thankful that nobody had to let her in. She left the door open for Scorpius, but he waited patiently by the door. Rose hung up the clothes and turned to him expectantly.

"Are you gonna come in or not?" she asked, "You've gotta tell me if the dresses are cute."

Looking around to be sure nobody was watching, he stepped into the small changing room with Rose. Suddenly they were very close.

"I'm not sure there's enough room for you to change with me in here," Scorpius whispered, slipping his hands behind her head and pulling her lips to meet his.

Rose wasn't sure if it was the wine, the warm store, or the thoughts swirling in her head, but when her lips met his, she felt her skin burn. She sighed into the kiss, and Scorpius silenced her with his tongue. She moved her hands to undo his thick jacket.

The store wasn't empty on a friday night. There were other people in the long set of dressing rooms, but the worker seemed to busy to care about them just then, and Scorpius had looked hot all night.

"Here?" he laughed against her lips, shrugging out of his jacket. He grabbed his wand and muttered a quick silencing spell, and another that Rose recognized as an illusionist spell.

"What did you just do?" she giggled, shrugging out of her own coat.

"If anyone looks right at us, their eyes will glide straight past as if this dressing room were never here," he shrugged, "A little one I picked up from Teddy actually."

"Come here you hot, smart man," Rose said comically, pulling him close by the shirt. His lips were on hers again, traveling quickly down her neck. Rose went weak in the knees.

For a brief moment, Rose let herself relax into the feel of Scorpius. His warm body through thin layers of clothing. The hardness of him rubbing roughly into her thigh. This was a man that she could see herself with. In every touch, she recognized what had been missing in all her past lovers. She couldn't name it, but knew that nobody else had it the way he did: passion.

He pulled her pants and panties down, and she shook her hips, wiggling her way out of them. She moved her foot to step out of one pant leg, but Scorpius seized it, kneeling between her legs and tossing it over one shoulder. He wasted no time at slipping his tongue around her clit, using rough movements with his mouth. Rose gasped, throwing her head back and relaxing into the feelings. _God, the things he can do with his mouth_ , Rose thought. She slipped her fingers into his hair, holding him against her. Her enthusiasm caused him to pull back, and she felt him smile against her skin, "Calm down," he spoke against her pink flesh, vibrating her core and causing goosebumps to raise on her skin, "I'll have my way with you yet," and she moaned loudly as he slipped two fingers into her. She was so wet already that they slid in easily, and her walls clenched around him. Scorpius curled them deliciously, and Rose felt a beautiful pressure inside of her. His tongue was back on her clit immediately, and Rose felt a slow build start in her. Everytime she was almost there, Scorpius would change movements. At one point, Rose grew so frustrated that she cried out when she lost her orgasm.

Finally, so frustrated and done with the ordeal, Rose pulled him up as fast as she could. Scorpius laughed at her enthusiasm, and she ignored him, pulling his pants down roughly and slipping her shirt off. His long, hard erection met her, and Rose's mouth watered in anticipation. She was so ready for him that she spun around and leaned forward, giving him full access to her dripping wet pussy. Scorpius wasted no time, steadying her with one hand, and aligning himself with the other. Rose realized then that she was facing the dressing room mirror. She got one look at herself and felt her vagina clench at the empty air. Rose looked thoroughly fucked, and they hadn't even shagged yet. Her hair was thrown to one side, and her face was filled with desire. As Scorpius entered her, she saw her face emanate pure pleasure, finally finding a kindle for her built up tension. Scorpius fucked her hard, and fast. With one hand on each side of the mirror, Rose had a wonderful view. Her breasts, held by a white lacy bralette, jiggled in the cups with each thrust. She looked to Scorpius and met his eyes. She felt a fresh gush of wetness flow from her as she held his gaze, watching the way his mouth hung open a little as he slid in and out of her. His eyes were glazed over, lost in the sensations of her. Finally, she felt herself slip into an orgasm, clenching tight around his thick, hard cock. Rose moaned loudly, and Scorpius grabbed her hips more roughly, pounding into her relentlessly. She watched him through the mirror as she came, seeing him gasp as he felt his own release. Watching Scorpius's face as he came was the hottest thing that Rose had ever seen in her life. His eyebrows relaxed, and he leaned his head back slightly, giving himself in to her body. Scorpius stayed in Rose for a moment longer, and Rose gasped, trying to regain her breath.

Scorpius and Rose left the store hand in hand. As they were walking, they ran into Alice and Roxanne.

"Hey guys!" Rose grinned, "How's your night been?"

"Well," Roxanne made a show of thinking, "When you guys disappeared for an hour into a clothes store, we looked for places to drink since tonight is going just fine, thank you very much," Roxanne gave Scorpius a pointed look. He rolled his eyes at her.

"They're a little out of our price range, so we grabbed some firewhiskey and figured we could head back to the tent," Alice held up two paper bags.

"Sounds perfect to me," Scorpius responded, "Have you guys seen Albus and Sam?"

"We think they already headed back after their duty," Roxanne responded.

"Perfect, let's gooooo!" Rose barrelled ahead, hoping she was heading in the right direction.

...

When they arrived back at the tent, Rose tried to make as much noise as possible. She giggled, blaming it on the firewhiskey she had opened as she walked back to the tent, but it was really just in case Sam was _really_ putting the moves on Albus. Much to her disappointment, when they walked in, Sam and Albus were simply sharing some tea.

"You're doing it wrong!" She giggled, walking up to Albus. He watched in horror as she poured some of the whiskey into his tea.

"You've soiled perfectly good tea!" Albus shouted in indignation.

"Hey, tea with whiskey is pretty good!" She responded, sticking her tongue out.

"Not cinnamon and watermelon!" he cried.

"Who the fuck drinks watermelon tea anyways," Roxanne muttered, taking Rose's bottle and drinking a deep swig of it.

After Albus poured his tea down the drain ( _Why did you do that, you just wasted perfectly good whiskey!?_ ), the group passed the bottles around, asking about their days. They recounted pretty typical sightseeing, and the conversation dissolved into banter.

"I can't believe you drink skim milk," Roxanne scoffed, "Who the fuck wants water with their milk?!"

"I just preferred the taste," Alice shrugged, struggling to keep a straight face.

"The _taste_!?" Roxanne shouted, " _There is no bloody taste!_ You want some now? I'll pour you a glass of water with a _shot_ of milk you bloody twat!"

Rose stood and wobbled a little.

"You good Rose?" Alice asked, clearly happy to change the course of conversation.

"Totally fine," she responded, "I'm just gonna run and pee real quick."

"I'll go with you," Roxanne responded, "I should probably leave Alice to think about what she's done."

They exited the tent together, and both took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"Being social is hard," Roxanne said, starting the walk away from the tent.

"You've fucking telling me," Rose shook her head, "We've partied a lot recently, but being around _people_ every day," she sighed, "Shit."

They walked in comfortable silence for a while, and Rose watched the trees as they stepped. It had started snowing lightly, and it was absolutely beautiful. The silence of the forest rang in her ears like a chime of bells. It was comforting and serene.

"You totally fucked Scorpius in a dressing room didn't you," Roxanne said suddenly.

"What the hell?" Rose laughed.

"Rose Weasley, I don't think you've taken an hour trying on clothes in your whole life," she smiled. Rose simply shook her head.

"We should head back," she responded.

"Oh you totally did," Roxanne turned around, leading the way back to the tent.

"I didn't even buy the cute blue dress I went in for," Rose realized out loud.

Luckily it was easy to see their way back because of the light footprints in the new snow. They passed a familiar rock when Rose stopped suddenly.

"Hey Roxanne, do you see those other footprints?" Rose asked, pointing to a third set leading off from theirs.

"What the-" Roxanne was interrupted as a spell flew from the trees. Rose ducked, just missing the spell meant for her. Roxanne fell roughly to the snow. Rose reached for her wand, but the assailant was faster. Rose was hit in the back, and felt every muscle in her body tense as she went face-first into the snow.

She felt her heart beat fast in every inch of her skin as footsteps slowly crunched towards her in the snow. Rose felt tears form in the corners of her eyes as the ambush stood over her.

"You're smart, Rose," a deep unfamiliar voice sounded from over her, "Lucky for me you 're too fucked to retaliate."

* * *

 _Author's Note \- Thanks for a great 2017 y'all! My job's gonna demand a lot of my attention until about June, so I apologize for my partial hiatus. I might still be posting, I might not, but again, you will eveeeentually see an end to this story. I have no estimation on how many chapters this will end up being, but thanks for hanging along for the ride. I have to say, I've fallen in love with where this is going. PLEASE continue to comment. If you point out plot holes and loves and hates, I will likely not comment back, but you probably will see them addressed in the story! Thank you for your continuous support, I am so happy that my little drawlings get read by someone. I hope that all is well with you, beautiful wonderful reader, and that this story will start to keep you on the edge of your seat, ready to have your mind blown. (Realistically, I feel like I've given you NO information, so be ready for that shitbomb to drop.) Stay warm!_


	17. Water & Air

.

 **Push & Pull**

 **Chapter 17**

 **Water & Air**

 _It was warm out, and after their OWLs, Rose could think of nothing but the fresh air. She rushed ahead of her two best friends on the path to the school grounds, throwing her head back and letting the sun warm her face._

" _My mom says that the Zabini family is really respectable," Alice said factually._

" _You would think of his family first," Roxanne laughed, "I think he probably has a big…"_

" _Ew," Rose laughed, leading the way to the bank of the Great Lake. When they arrived, they all found a nice patch of grass and lay down, enjoying the sun. It was crowded out, students trying to escape the confines of the castle after their long and stressful exams._

" _Anyways," Roxanne continued, "We were just talking. I guess we'll see if we hang out at all over the summer. He promised to write."_

 _Alice sat bolt upright as if she had just remembered something. But when Rose looked over to her, the expression on Alice's face was horrified._

" _You're lost Roxanne," she said. Rose's head began to ache. She turned to Roxanne to ask what Alice's problem was, but Roxanne was no longer next to her. In fact, the students who had all been laughing and enjoying the day had disappeared._

" _What's happening?" Rose asked, raising a hand to her head._

" _Be careful," Alice warned, raising her wand to point it at Rose, "They'll find you again."_

 _There was a bright green flash, then darkness._

Rose awoke gasping for air. It took her a moment to register she was not in immediate danger, and when she did, she felt as if she had the worst hangover of her life. Her head was pounding, and she was a little nauseous. _I didn't drink that much, did I?_ She asked herself. But when her eyes finally focused in the dimly lit room, she quickly recalled what had happened.

"Shit," Rose murmured to herself, now feeling the ropes that held her to a chair.

"Yeah," a familiar voice echoed in the small room from behind her, "You're telling me."

"Roxanne!" she gasped, trying to turn her head. Rose couldn't see much, but noted the corner of another chair against hers. They must have been back to back.

"Don't you dare sound happy to see me Rose, we're bloody fucked right now," Roxanne sighed. Rose blinked, her head clearing just a little, and tried to take in her surroundings once more. She felt like she was having some sort of cartoon-style nightmare. The room was so dim that she couldn't see the color of the walls, but the worn border clued that wherever she was, it was not well taken care of. There was a puddle in the corner, a steady drip of water every few seconds the only sound that could be heard. Rose saw no windows or doors, but there had to be some way in and out of the room.

She wasn't sure how long they had been in there, it could have been minutes or days for all she knew.

"Roxanne," Rose whispered, her voice shaking.

"I don't know anything," she responded blankly, "I've been awake for awhile and nobody has came or left. Just us and that damn fucking dripping." Rose looked once more to the puddle. There was piping on the ceiling, and the water seemed to be coming from one of the larger pipes. Rose's mind worked quickly, trying hard to find a way out of this situation, but after several minutes of perceived dead ends, her head started pounding again.

"Fuck," she spat, leaning her head back and trying not to cry.

"Yeah, that's about right," Roxanne said, no emotion in her voice.

Rose moved to massage her temples, but was caught by her restraints. She let out a small sigh, jerking roughly against them in a feeble hope they would snap.

The silence in the room was boring into Rose. At last she said, "My head is killing me."

"Yeah," Roxanne breathed deeply, seemingly deep in thought, "Side effect of the stun I think." Rose nodded in response, but realizing Roxanne couldn't see her, made a secondary noise of agreement.

Rose had no idea how long they sat like that, making small talk, neither giving any more knowledge than the other already had. Having no sense of time was disorienting to her, and Rose's stomach turned awfully. At one point she thought she would be sick.

Rose wasn't sure why her eyes caught it, but before it was even there she noticed a line forming in the wall in front of her. She whispered a warning to Roxanne as the dark line traveled down the wall and across, outlining a door, which swung forward from the wall and let in a robed figure. It was frighteningly familiar.

 _Rose would never say that she hated a subject of study, but History of Magic was, by default that subject. Mostly because potions was right after, so the hour stretched on as she waited to see her cauldron again. This day in particular would be dreadful, and she saw her apprehension reflected in Albus's eyes across the room. She risked a glance next to him to Scorpius. Whenever he and Rose met eyes, there was a fire in them, waiting to retort whatever insult she threw at him. Today, however, there was nothing. A blank, guarded expression for completely different reasons than her own. For the first time in her life, Rose felt pity for Scorpius Malfoy._

 _Even though the ghostly Professor Binn's droning voice could make any lecture dull, this discussion hit home for many of the young witches and wizards in the room._

" _The first recorded battle of the second wizarding war was in our own Department of Mysteries," he began, writing a year on the board, "It was fought between several young Hogwarts students self-proclaimed 'Dumbledore's Army', the Order of the Phoenix, and the Death Eaters," more scratches on the board. Albus and Rose typically took notes religiously, but they had heard these stories a thousand times, "During this battle, Minister Fudge himself viewed the end of a duel between Albus Dumbledore, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and Harry Potter. This battle signaled the public belief of his return to power. There was one casualty to the Order of the Phoenix, presumed mass murderer Sirius Black. All Death Eaters involved were arrested, most notably Lucius Malfoy, whose house later became the base of operations for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."_

 _There were more than a few glances and whispers towards Malfoy, who sat stone-faced. Rose averted her eyes, and focused instead on an image in her textbook. Standing dark against the pale text, a hooded black figure with a slit for an eerie mask stared back at her. The sixteen-year-old Rose Weasley tried to imagine fighting a frightening figure like that._

And now one was staring right at her. She could hardly breathe. A second figure moved in behind the first, and the door closed behind them, merging back in with the wall. The second figure moved behind her, presumably staring at Roxanne the same way the person in front of her did.

They were silent for several moments. Rose tensed, trying to remember where her wand was.

"Are you Death Eaters?" Rose asked quietly. Silence dragged behind her question. The glittering eyes of the figure looking between Rose's determined face.

"We are Death Keepers," the figure replied. It's voice sounded feminine. Rose had no way of reaching her wand, and her heart sank. Instead, she looked more closely at the 'Death Keeper'. If she was going to die, she wanted to know her killer. She tried to memorize all of their features.

"Stupid name," Roxanne spat, "Not very original." There was a movement behind her and Rose flinched as Roxanne cried out in pain.

" _The Augury will come, powerful beyond measure_ ," a deeper voice behind her sounded as if they were reciting lines, " _The keepers will raise her from despair and illuminate her abilities…"_

"We are the Keepers," the figure in front of her interrupted. Rose's head pounded. _That sounds familiar…_

"Spit it out then," Roxanne's words were angry. An icy feeling crept up Rose's spine, "What do you want with us?" More movement from behind her, and Rose fought against her restraints, trying to turn so she could block Roxanne. There was no cry this time.

Rose had never felt more helpless.

"Knowledge," the figure in front of Rose said slowly, "You have something we want."

"What is it," Rose asked through gritted teeth. Rose's Death Keeper looked across the room to the other one. There was a long moment where they seemed to communicate without speaking. At last, she nodded and looked back to Rose.

"A potion," she said, "We did not find one on you when we searched you. Your renowned talents though, suggest that... with some persuasion," the Keeper nodded towards their companion.

" _Crucio_ ," Rose heard from behind her.

"No!" she shouted hoarsely, but was shocked by Roxanne's screams of pain. The moment stretched on forever. Rose felt Roxanne's head slam back into her own, felt the awful contortion of her neck against Rose as Roxanne tried to squirm away from the pain.

"No, _please_ stop!" Rose cried out, tears spilling across her cheeks. The squirming halted suddenly, and the once silent room was filled with Rose's sobs and Roxanne's whimpers.

The Death Keeper leaned in very close to Rose, "... that with some persuasion, you could brew it for us."

Rose's instinct was to hold her ground. She wanted to shout back her refusal, to spit in their face.

Never in her life did Rose wish harm upon someone like she did in that moment.

But with the horror of Roxanne's pain freshly cutting into her, Rose could only glare her hatred through her tears at her imprisoner.

"My Mopsus potion, right?" her voice was so quiet, and at hearing the defeat from herself, Rose's eyes welled up with tears again, "What do you need it for?"

"No business of yours," she said quickly, "how long will it take?"

"I'm not sure," she responded, and they nodded at their companion once more.

"No, wait!" Rose shouted, "I just need materials!" they held up a hand to stop the torture spell.

"They made me... burn all of my notes," she said between sobs, "I just need time to come up with the protocol again."

"We're not known for our patience," they said.

"Please," Rose cried, and her head hung forwards, "Please, I just need time." Rose gasped softly, willing herself to lift her head and look at her captor once more, but it was as if her body were no longer her own. "I can do it," she repeated quietly, but her words were drowned by a loud crash and a bright light.

Looking up, Rose cried in relief. A blonde-haired boy wordlessly threw a spell at her captor. She dodged it and disappeared behind Rose. She struggled against her restraints again, and Alice slipped in behind Scorpius, rushing to Rose. Alice pointed her wand at the restraints.

"Please, please, please," she begged, feeling so trapped. Suddenly there was a loud crack behind her, and profuse swearing.

"They took her!" Scorpius shouted, turning towards a new figure at the fallen wall, "Albus they have Roxanne."

" _Emancipare_ ," Alice whispered, and as the ropes slithered out from Rose's arms, she flung herself forward and out of the chair.

"Wait, Rose, your legs!" Alice warned, rushing to untie those as well, but Rose could think of nothing but trying to get away from that horrible room. She barely noted when her legs were freed, but proceeded to crawl towards the blasted opening. Catching her leg on a piece of fallen wood, Rose fell over herself and sobbed, curling into a ball on the floor. She felt hands on her back, trying to rouse her back to sanity, but Rose could only sob, staring at the corner of the room where water was still dripping every few seconds.

…

Rose was carried from the building into a snowy forest. At some point they met Sam in the woods. Everything was a blur, and she didn't even know who was carrying her.

"-Can't go back…" she heard someone say. Rose started singing very softly to herself, trying to block out the scene around her. _Down in the "valley, valley so low. Hang your" head over, hear the wind blow._ Only half of Rose's words seemed to leave her mouth. When the voices around her grew more frantic, she started humming louder, the words of the old lullaby filling her head.

 _Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow. Hang your head over, hear the wind blow._

"I don't know," a voice above her shouted over her singing, "We can't just apparate, I have to contact someone. We can't stay in Australia."

"Ethan lives in Adelaide," Rose whispered.

"Hey," A voice said loudly from next to her, "Rose said Ethan lives here." Rose opened her eyes to look at Albus, whose lips were pressed together in a tight line.

"We have nowhere to go mate," another voice responded. At last, Albus nodded.

Side-along appariting seemed to have no effect on Rose. What did have an effect on her, was recognizing the five small trees planted in the front yard. The stone pathway leading to a house with all its lights off. " _Roses love sunshine, violets love dew."_ Rose sang softly again, burying her face in the chest of who she now recognized as Scorpius. His arms tightened around her as they knocked.

Lights flicked on. Alarmed voices. Blankets. Hushed discussions. The flash of wandwork and protective spells being put in place. " _Angels in heaven know I love you."_ Rose found herself wrapped tightly on a large couch. Sam sat in front of her, taking one of her hands. She tried to speak, but couldn't find anything other than song lyrics. He rubbed circles on the back of her hand.

" _Know I love you, dear, know I love you,"_ Rose sang at Sam. He looked sad, but she couldn't remember why. Rose shivered and closed her eyes, " _Angels in heaven, know I love you."_

A while later, Sam's hand was replaced by a larger one, and Scorpius made Rose look at him. Once she recognized his face, he crawled onto the couch onto her and flicked the lights off. " _Will you be mine, dear, will you be mine?"_ Rose muttered softly.

"My father used to sing me this song," Scorpius pulled Rose tightly to him. She didn't know she had been shivering for so long until just then. Rose tried to commit his words to memory, since she couldn't respond just then. _Answer my question, "Will you be mine?"_

"He didn't have a good voice like you," Scorpius laughed quietly, listening to her hum another line. Rose paused briefly, breathing deep. "He was pretty awful actually. But I loved it."

 _Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow._

"He'd visit me and tuck me in and sing a verse. I always felt safe when he did. Loved." Scorpius's voice was far off now. Rose's humming ceased, and she moved a hand to gently place it over his.

Very quietly, and almost without a tune, Scorpius sang the last line back to her, " _Hang your head over, hear the wind blow."_

And Rose drifted off to a peaceful rest with the sound of Scorpius's snores.

* * *

 _Author's Note : Welcome back! Again, not rushing to get chapters out, and I've been feeling very uninspired under my loads of work. I recently picked up the Harry Potter audiobooks for my long commutes, and ideas have finally been flowing again! WHOO! Plot ideas though, not sex ideas, so I have no idea where the style will go. I have always been committed to the major plotline, which was written before any of the chapters, and will expose itself in the next few. Please let me know where you think things are going! Were you surprised by Rose shutting down through all this? Who the hell is Ethan? I love her but damn she does not know how to handle her shit. Tell me what you think! Miss and love y'all. _


End file.
